Light and Shadow
by Carol Grissom
Summary: Harry is a "secret agent". And after years away from his friends Ron and Hermione, he meets them again. Problems and wounds resurge from the past, and they will have to decide if they want to recover their old friendship
1. The job

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Light and Shadow 

Translator: Carol Grissom

Author: Ligia Maria Araki 

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Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, or Ligia's 

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e-mail: carol_bio_@hotmail.com

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Beta'd by: Saerelle 

Summary: Harry is a "secret agent". And after years away from his friends Ron and Hermione, he meets them again. Problems and wounds resurge from the past, and they will have to decide if they want to recover their old friendship. 

Chapter 1 - The job 

Time runs fast. No, time runs really very fast. It's funny how, sometimes, you can see yourself in a house, surrounded by friends, in the countdown for the new year. And, in a blink, you're there again, in a house surrounded by friends, celebrating the new year again. But, in Harry's case, time ran way too fast. And, of course, the house unfortunately wasn't full of friends. 

Things had changed, a lot. He changed a lot. The man he had become didn't resemble the skinny boy he used to be. By the way, who met the "famous" Harry Potter, the "boy who lived", couldn't say he was the man sitting in a very comfortable armchair in his big office, drinking vodka (a habit he reverted to when something was bothering him). 

Since he graduated from Hogwarts, Harry had joined the Aurors Academy, ending it as the first in his class. After all, he had a war to face, and had the weight of an entire community on his back, people who believed he could bring peace back to their lives. What most of them didn't know was that Harry didn't graduate "with flying colours" because he had a "debt" with the magic community. After all, as his godfather had said, he didn't have any debt. What he had to carry was the hope of those who suffered and were still suffering because of a lunatic. He did it for anger. Anger for being betrayed, by someone he couldn't even think of. He just wanted to prove that the "friend", the "brother", was wrong when he chose to go to the other side; and that everything the "friend" said, all the arguments weren't grounded. Seemed like betrayal was becoming a tradition in the family. First the father... Then the son. 

Now that the peace was back, Harry was working in a new department, created after the war ended. The Department of Catastrophe Prevention. A weird name, but it was a faction inside the Ministry. Those who work at this department do a very simple thing: they spy. Just like the CIA, in the American muggle government. 

When the department was about to be created, there was a lot of controversy. The Ministry had never had a department to spy on the citizens. It wasn't really necessary, the population, so far, hadn't any reason to be spied upon. However, after Voldemort, came the need for a department like this. But before creating it, there was lots and lots of discussion. The new department would cost a lot of money to the Ministry, or the population wouldn't have a very good reaction; all kinds of arguments were presented against it. The department ended up being created, but under total secrecy. Actually, not one hundred percent secrecy, because that wasn't a very easy thing to reach in the Magic World; it just wouldn't be under the spotlights, as if everything done inside it wasn't important enough to warrant much attention. A discreet and "shy" department, just like a cat in the dark. 

The Department of Catastrophe Prevention was growing. Most of it's "Agents" were Aurors, with some extra improvement courses, like Transfiguration, Potions, etc. And some of them also had instructions to live among the muggles, and there were always one or two, just to see if everything was "normal". Others had made muggle courses that could be very useful, like identification of fingerprints, shooting, muggle law, etc. 

The Aurors working as spies were organized like this: there was a backup team, responsible for the support of the field team. These field teams were named with letters, like A, B, C,... The A team was sub-divided in A-1 and A-2. Harry belonged to the A-1, the "best" team in the department. Those who belonged to this one had some privileges, like for example, the right of Veto, that means they could choose whether to participate or not in the missions. And they could choose with whom they wanted to work, including people from the other teams. 

Apart from belonging to the A-1 team, Harry was also licensed in Muggle Law. Just in case he needed to camouflage, Harry would be a lawyer. He didn't live in the magical world, but in the muggle one. After all, he had lived his entire life among them, and it was a way to "escape" from work. Arriving home, and doing things muggles do, like watching TV, or listening to some music, were some habits he had adopted. Harry had always liked muggle TV: movies, TV shows, and TV series... But, unfortunately, while living with the Dursleys, he couldn't watch any, because of his cousin. 

Harry sat and drank for about 30 minutes. He was thinking of his godfather, head of the department, calling him. Apparently to give the information of his new "mission". 

__

- Harry, I have a new job for you. However, unfortunately, this one I won't let you veto - Sirius was deadly serious. 

- And why not? - Harry was serious too, but a little bit curious. 

- Because you are one of my best men, and you fit perfectly to this job. And, of course, you're licensed in... 

- Come on, Sirius, stop it! Praising me won't make me bite the bait. Why can't I veto it? - Harry was more serious than before, and now he was also angry. 

Sirius just looked at the man sitting in front of him, as if analyzing him. He knew exactly what would be Harry's reaction. Then, he pushed a folder toward Harry. 

Harry just had to glance at the name in the folder before he brusquely stood up. 

- Forget it! No way, I won't take this job - he said, moving toward the door. 

But Sirius ran after him, stopping his godson. Harry had the exact reaction he expected. 

- Harry! Harry... wait... why won't you take it? 

- You ask as if you didn't know. - his voice was now cold. 

- Harry, you, more than anyone, know you are perfect for this job. I think you could leave the past behind... Just... Just forget the past - Sirius said, with a calm voice. 

- Did you forget the past? - Harry asked, sarcastically. 

- When did you become this cold, serious, sarcastic person, Harry? I didn't forget the past, but I try to live without thinking of it. 

Harry deeply regretted asking that question to his godfather. He was the only person who still cared for him. Of course, there were the Weasleys, who, even after all that happened, still held him in high esteemed. But with his godfather things were different. He was practically the only family Harry had. He was like a father, a "father" he'd never had. Harry just said that for pure reflection. A long time ago, specifically when the war ended, he started this sarcastic behavior. He just couldn't understand that... 

- I'm sorry Sirius... I didn't mean to say that... But the thing is that I won't take it, really. Choose another one, there are people here just as good as me for the job. – He said, getting ready to leave. 

- I said I wouldn't let you veto it, Harry... 

- Yes, you said... Fire me, then. But I won't take it. – He said in a tone of finality, leaving his godfather behind. 

But of course Sirius wouldn't fire his godson. That would be insane. After all, Harry was one of his best men. He was an A-1. However, Sirius tried, all day, to make his godson change his mind. And finally, at the end of the day, he made an offer impossible to be refused, an offer Harry had been waiting for at least two years. 

__

- Okay, Harry, here's the deal: if you take the job, I give you a vacation. I know you've been wanting one for so long... - said Sirius, getting into the godson's office. 

- Vacation? Like the last one? Hmm... let me see if I remember... Ah! Yes! I WORKED THEN TOO! _- he said with some sarcasm in his voice. _

- But the situation was completely different. We needed someone in France, and since you were there... Wouldn't cost to help... - Sirius said, amused by his godson's sarcasm. 

- Help? Funny, if it was just to "help", why did I work almost my entire vacation? 

- Okay, all right, you had to work during you vacation, and so what? Lots of people do it. - Sirius said as if it wasn't important, just a small detail. 

- Lots of people really Sirius... Now tell me, why is it that when YOU are traveling, no one finds you? 

- Ah, that's very simple... No one finds me, because otherwise I'll have to work during my vacation... - Sirius said, very debauched. Ah! Come on Harry... I promise you on this vacation nobody will find you... Take the job... A peaceful vacation instead of some job... Hmm? What do you say? A tropical paradise, for example... Hawaii? Caribbean? That's a very nice change... 

And Harry ended up taking it. He had been working for almost two years without a brake, and the thought of having some days to rest was very comforting. Maybe he could really go to a tropical paradise. He'd always wanted to go to the Caribbean. 

What was concerning Harry was the job he would have to do. He would be a muggle lawyer, in a very important firm in London. He would be working on a murder case with... 

"Enough of thinking about it, and about the past." Harry thought. 

He took his coat, the folder containing the information and left his office. He thought of apparating home, but he remembered he would have a lot to explain to the doorman of his building, after all, how could he be at home without passing through the entrance? And besides, Harry had a car. He was practically the only one in the department who had one. It was a muggle car, without any kind of magic, and he liked it a lot. He could still remember of his godfather saying _"Harry... a muggle car? What are you going to do with a 'magic- less' car? And why was it so expensive?" _Well... Harry liked to drive. Like a muggle. Just grab the car and drive through London's streets. The city was so beautiful, specially at night. During his nights of insomnia, he used to grab the car and drive until sunrise. Harry liked so much to drive as a muggle that, if it depended on him, the car would remain without magic for a long while. And it had cost so much money due to the fact that Harry didn't have anything to use all the money he gained at the department on. And it wasn't any little bit of money. He wasn't an extravagant man. Yes, he had a very good apartment, well decorated, but nothing too luxurious. Only the car had cost a good amount of money. 

That night Harry took more time than usual to get home. It was a very pleasant night, and he didn't have a reason to get home soon. Nobody was waiting for him. No one waiting... Just thinking about it made him sad. He liked to have a place to go back to, indeed, after a stressing day at work. A place that had someone waiting. A family, perhaps... 

He entered the apartment, left his coat anyhow in the sofa and threw the folder over the table. He went to the bar to get more vodka, but when he grabbed the bottle, he saw it was _empty. "Great!"_ he thought. _"Well... no problem, I've already drunk too much, anyway..." _

Harry went back to the living room and turned on the stereo. He plunged into the sofa, just listening to the melody. Taking off his glasses, he put his hands over his face tiredly. Sitting that way, listening to the music, particularly sad, he surrendered to his reverie... _"Ah! You know what? I have to stop getting worried. I'll finish my job, and get my expected vacation..." _

He stood up, went to the bedroom, took a little sleeping potionand prepared himself to sleep. _"A good night of sleep will help me stop thinking of the past, and this new job." _

In the living room, on the table, in the cover of the folder Harry brought, could be read, in big red letters: **HERMIONE ANNE GRANGER**.


	2. The meeting

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Light and Shadow 

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Translator: Carol Grissom

Author: Ligia Maria Araki 

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Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, or Ligia's 

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e-mail: carol_bio_@hotmail.com

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Beta'd by: Saerelle 

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A/N: Well, I know this should be in the first chapter, but... anyway, here it is.

This fic is originally written in Portuguese, and I'd like to thank Ligia, the author, for letting me translate it. I also would like to thank Saerelle, my dear beta. I would be so lost without her help... 

Ok, enough of that. Here is chapter 2, I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 2 - The meeting 

Hermione sat at the big table in the reunion room in the advocacy office she worked. At the age of 32, she was still a pretty woman, not showing her age. 

She was quite irritated that day. Yesterday her "boss" called her to hand in a new case, in which she would have to work with another lawyer. And it was exactly this fact that was making her angry. Since she became an associate in the office, she had never needed someone to work with. She was used to thinking she had capacity enough to work by herself, without anyone's help or support. If through all these years she showed to be so efficient, why would she require a partner now? 

Hermione was drumming her fingers in impatience on the big and elegant mahogany table. Right after finishing Hogwarts, she had attended the Aurors Academy, and, of course, fought in the War against Voldemort, and against... against Ron too. This last part left her sadder than anything else. Ron was her best friend, one of her best friends, together with Harry. She was simply saddened because of his side change, and fighting against him was very painful. 

After the war ended, she had become another person. Almost everyone who fought in the front line had changed. Principally Harry. He had become a cold person; serious, sentiment-less, suddenly so sly. He built up a wall around himself, and she couldn't break through. And, well, after a lot of thinking and reflection, after all she had lived during the war, after all she had been through, she decided it was time to leave the Magic World. After all, the only 2 people who kept her in it had turned away from her. 

Hermione went back to her parents' house, and decided to live amongst the muggles. She went to Law school (she'd always wanted to be a lawyer), and decided to never make magic again. Hermione attempted to forget the magic world, as if she had never been part of it. 

It worked for the first years, but as she had a lot of magic inside her, weird things started to happen because she wasn't using it. Once she was at the tribunal, and the judge, apparently irritated with something she said, asked: _"Miss Granger, do you think this court is a circus? Do you think I look like a clown?_". Well, Hermione didn't think she had said anything wrong, and got really angry with the tone of voice the judge used at her. Result? The judge really got a clown face, with all the nose and hair thing. So, she started to do some little magic at home, so that no other judges would get a clown face. 

But she couldn't imagine the surprise she would have in a few minutes... 

When the door opened, Phillip, a 50 year old man, the major associate in the office, came in and sat beside her. 

"Good morning, Hermione, " Phill started, smiling. "How are you this morning? Actually, it's almost noon," looking at his watch. 

"Fine,"she answered, with a dry voice. 

"Oh, Hermione, come on. It's not gonna be so bad working with someone!", Phillip said in a good mood. He knew she wasn't happy about having a work partner. 

"Why do I have to work with somebody? I never needed it, Phillip, you know that. ", now she was nervous. 

"Of course I know, Hermione. You are one of my best lawyers. I just believe that having some help with this case would be very useful." 

"And with who am I going to work with?", she asked, curious. 

"You don't know him." Phillip said neutrally. 

Now Mione was really mad. She hadn't enjoyed the idea of having to work with someone in the first place, and now she was hating it more, for not knowing who her new 'partner' was. And Phill was so neutral. 

"Ah, that's great! Having to work with someone, which I've never needed, isn't enough, and it has to be someone I don't know? I must presume this person is not from the office, right?" Hermione stood up, walking from side to side, clearly irritated. 

"No, it's no one from the office. And please calm down, all this nervousness will only bring you some wrinkles." Phillip said in his irrepressible way. That was his way, always in a good mood and smiling. But when he was on court, he changed completely. 

"And who is this person? Why isn't she here yet? Why can't I work with Mark, for example? I know him, he is my friend..." 

"She must be on her way. And you, stop asking so many questions. You're not going to work with Mark, because he is on another case, and what's more, the novice is a specialist in criminal law." 

Phillip's secretary entered the room. 

"Phill, the novice is here." 

"Send him in, please, Susan." 

The secretary departed and let the novice in. When the man entered the room, Hermione simply dropped her body over the chair. She was totally shocked. 

"Harry..."Mione said in a low voice. 

"Do you know each other?" Phill asked, curious. 

"Yes" she said, still shocked. 

"No" Harry said at the same time 

"Yes, or no?" Phillip asked confused. 

"Not really, just by sight, Mr. Falcon." Harry said seriously, looking at Hermione as if saying her to agree and confirm the story. 

"Ah, please, call me Phillip. We need no ceremony, we're all colleagues " Phillip said smiling. 

"As you wish." Harry responded with a discrete smile. 

"Well, have a sit... I believe my secretary already sent you a copy of the case. Oh, and this is Hermione Granger, your partner." Phillip said, pointing at Hermione, who was still surprised. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Hermione." said Harry, as if he didn't really know her, as if they had never spoken before, as if they had never been best friends. 

"My pleasure." she said, shaking his hand. _'He is a great actor_', she thought, _'I'm here looking like a fool and he pretends he's never seen me before...'_

"I've had some great recommendations about you, Harry. That's why I called you to work with us. My dear Hermione, here," said Phillip, taking her hands and smiling "is the best lawyer I have. Very difficult to loose a case." 

"I don't doubt it, Phillip." he said, with a meaningful look at her. 

"Ah, yes, my Hermione is a brilliant woman. For you to see, she is the fastest person to become an associate... people usually take years, she didn't have to wait for 2..." Phillip said, proud, still holding her hand. 

Harry didn't say a thing. He was just looking at Hermione, as if analyzing her. Years were very nice to her. But of course, she was still the same. Except for the hair, no longer bulky, but straight, reaching her shoulders. She was dressed like a "business woman", and had the posture of a lawyer. Brilliant... Ah, Phillip Falcon knew nothing about how brilliant she could be... 

Hermione didn't like to see Harry look at her. _'He changed nothing, since last time I saw him... same way, same cold looking...' _She knew what she had to do- something to stop those green eyes from looking at her. 

"Phillip, I think..." Hermione hesitated for a second. Should she call him Potter or Harry? Well, the Harry she'd known certainly wasn't the man sitting in front of her. This one, she didn't know. And didn't even want to. "I don't think Mr. Potter needs you to praise me. " Mione decided to maintain the same look she was receiving from Harry from now on. 

"Ah, yes, of course. Well, I'll leave you alone, for you to know each other better." Phillip said, standing up and leaving the room. 

Minutes had passed, and neither of them had said one word. They just looked at each other for several minutes. To break the silence, Hermione decided to say: 

"What are you doing here?", she was as serious as Harry. 

"Can't you see? I'm working." Harry answered as if she was a small child, asking a foolish question. 

"Working? No, I'm working, I'll ask again. What are you doing here?" 

"This is not the correct way to receive an old friend, Hermione. I came to see how you were, to help you..." 

"Ah! Apart from becoming "cold" and "cruel" now you're becoming silly?" She would never forget how cruel he was to her, when the war ended. "First: I receive visits the way I want, after all, the one pretending not to know me here was you. Second: I'm very fine, thank you. And third: I don't need any help." Hermione's irritation was evident. 

"I'm not being silly..." Harry used the same cold expression as the last time. 

"Ah, Potter! Don't make me...", but she didn't finish it. Harry interrupted her. 

"Huh! Potter! You know, calling me that sounds so strange. I'm used to Harry." If he attempted to sound hurt, he didn't succeed. His expressions did not agree with what he was saying. 

"Start getting used to it. After all, 'we don't-know-each-other'", she said these last words slowly. "So I don't see why I should call you by your first name. We call our friends for their first name." 

"Ah! So this means I can't consider myself your friend anymore?" Harry was keeping his cold demeanor. His voice was low, and showed he didn't care about the answer. 

"Do you care about it? Doesn't seem like." The same tone of voice. They didn't lose eye contact at any moment. 

But Harry didn't have time to answer, because a man entered the room suddenly. 

"Mione?" It was Mark, her friend, "I came to ask if our lunch is still on. Or maybe you want to have lunch with your new partner..." Mark was inside the room already, walking in Harry and Hermione's direction. 

Abruptly he realized how heavy the air was in that room. He looked at Hermione, who was very serious. He found her expression amusing, she only had that face on when in court. Maybe she was still angry about having to work with someone. 

Mione, still facing Harry, said: 

"Mark, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Potter.", she emphasized the Potter, "He will work with me in that Halkin case." 

"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Potter. Mark Hudson." He said with a smile, reaching his hand out to Harry to shake. 

Harry, saying nothing, shook hands with Mark. 

Then the silence returned to the room. Mark began to feel uncomfortable, what was the problem? Why all the tension? 

"Mione?" 

"Hmm?" 

"About the lunch..." 

"Ah! Yes. No Mark, of course I'll have lunch with you." She turned to her friend and softened her expression. 

"And you, Mr. Potter?" 

Hermione looked at Mark, as if asking for God's sake not to invite Harry for lunch. 

"Thank you very much, but I have some things to do during lunch." 

"Well, so", he turned to Hermione, "let's go?" 

"Sure, Mark!" she said with a smile on her face. 

Hermione turned to Harry and, with a cold look in her eyes, just like his, leaves the room, leaving Harry behind, sitting at the big table. 

* * * 

During the ride to lunch they sat in total silence. Mark tried to talk, but Hermione was being so monosyllabic, he gave up. 

She, on the way, sat looking through the window, very thoughtful. She started to think about the past, how things had happened. She dated Harry during their fifth year, but during the sixth, she became confused. She didn't know anymore if she liked Harry or Ron. Of course Ron didn't have a good reaction when he heard they were dating, and he stopped speaking to them for a while. In the very beginning of the sixth year, though, he went to talk to her, to say he liked her very much, and that seeing them together hurt a lot, and he actually stopped talking to them not because they were together, but because he was hurt for losing her. And from that moment, she didn't know if she really wanted to be with Harry anymore. 

She spent days thinking about that conversation, trying not to change her ways with Harry. But of course, he saw there was something wrong. Nevertheless, every time he asked if there was something wrong, she changed the subject, using the old excuse that she was "tired". 

And one day, Harry had to spend the day out of the castle, with his godfather, and Ron and Hermione stayed the entire day in the common room. It was a very cold Saturday, and a Hogsmeade weekend, but these visits had become boring, after all these years. So they decided to stay in the castle, doing homework, playing chess, and talking. It was during these conversations that the inevitable happened. They kissed. And on that day Mione thought the world would fall over her head. If things were already confused, after that kiss they had gotten even worse. She decided to break up with Harry, she thought that from the moment she had doubts about her feelings, it would be the time to put an end to their relationship. 

Of course Harry was hurt; he just couldn't understand why she was breaking up with him. He liked Hermione a lot, he was almost sure he loved her. When she started to date his best friend, ah, that hurt. It was like there was a hand squeezing his heart. Every time he saw them together this squeeze hurt more. He felt cheated. It was from that moment that Harry started to change. He started to become distant, not caring much about things that happened around him. He began to built the wall, that in his view, would keep him away from the pain. 

During the summer vacation of that year, Harry refused the invitation to go to The Burrow for the first time. It was a thousand times better to bear the Dursleys than to see his best friend together with her. He didn't want that hand to squeeze his heart anymore. The torture of seeing them in Hogwarts would be enough. Of course the Wrasleys didn't understand Harry's attitude, and made Ron write letters and letters insisting on him coming. Harry was stubborn. Until the ultimatum: either he would go, or they would come to pick him up. But with all this going - not going thing, time had passed, and Harry arrived at The Burrow only four days before going back to Hogwarts. No one asked him why he didn't want to come, everybody understood. They couldn't help but notice that he was different. Not because of Ron and Hermione's relationship, he was just different. 

Time passed, and Hermione realized she had made a mistake leaving Harry. She didn't like Ron that much, and they had a lot of fights. It was row after row. She realized she really liked Harry. And it was with him she would like to stay, and after a lot of thinking, she tried to fix her mistake. That was when she realized how he had changed. 

__

"Harry, could we talk?" Hermione sat in front of him in the library's table. 

"You can say." 

"Not here... somewhere else." 

"Where, then?" 

"I don't know... In the gardens, perhaps." 

"Hermione, if you didn't notice, I'm studying..." Harry said, impatient. 

"I won't take too long. I promise." 

"Ok." 

When in the gardens, they stood silent for awhile, Hermione didn't know where to start. 

"So...?" Harry began, impatient, but much more curious. 

"Harry... I think you should know I like you..." 

He looked at her as if she was saying a big lie. 

"Yes, so what?", he asks, indifferent. 

"And you should also know I broke up with Ron few months ago." 

"No, I didn't know." He wasn't lying. He really didn't know that news. 

"Of course you don't know, you're distant from us..." 

"I didn't get distant. Every day I have breakfast, lunch and dinner with you." 

"Okay, but it's like you're not there. You don't talk to us, you're always elsewhere..." 

"Hermione, what is your point?" Now he was impatient. 

"I made a mistake, Harry. We should had never broke up. I never liked Ron like I like you. I thought... thought I could have another chance... to fix the mess I made..." 

Harry didn't say anything. Just started to chuckle. Hermione looked strangely at him. 

"Do you think I'm an idiot?", he said, still laughing. 

"No, of course not, Harry. I just thought..." 

"If you had thought before, you could have spared yourself from this ridiculous situation." 

"Ridiculous?" she asked, confused. 

"Yes, ridiculous. Of course, you would have thought the idiot Harry here wouldn't think twice before taking you back..." looking angry at her. It was the first time Hermione was getting such an intense look from Harry. 

"I made a mistake. And now I'm trying to fix it. Have you never made a mistake in your life?" 

"You hurt me a lot, you know, Mione. I liked you. And from nowhere you broke up with me, and I didn't even know what I did wrong. You don't know how hard it was to me to see you two walking around together, when it was me who should have been in Ron's place, after all, I doubt it he liked you as much as me." Harry now had a low voice, extremely hurt. 

"I'm sorry, Harry... I've said, I made a mistake. Couldn't you give me another chance?" 

"No. You thought you would use me, then dismiss me and I would run back to you? You're wrong... Why don't you go hit on Malfoy, hmm? Then when you get tired of him, you could hit on Crabbe... then Goyle. Or, who knows, all three at once?" Harry said maliciously, with an irate look, then left her behind. 

It wouldn't hurt so much if he had beaten her. It hurt the way he said it, as if she wasn't anyone. It hurt, him telling her to hit on Malfoy. What hurt the most was his look. She could remember how much she cried that day. 

But Harry could see she was hurt by what he said, and how he still liked her, even if he didn't want to admit it, he ended up apologizing to her, and everything, apparently, went back to normal. 

Until Ron decided to change sides. When Harry got this news, he became extremely hurt and upset. But these feelings didn't last long, they soon turned into rage. A rage she'd never seen on him before. Because of that, her trust in him received a grain of doubt. 

So came the War. And everything Harry lived, saw and felt was imprinted on him. All the sadness, the anger, the cruelty, ended up inside him. And he became the person he is today. 

Once, during the war, he went to her room at night, apparently to talk about the attack to a Death Eater's camping, and they ended up sleeping together. She had lost her virginity with Ron - that she deeply regretted. But that night was very special. It seemed like it was their last night, as if they were going to the final battle. The next day she woke up alone, and, during the breakfast, Harry treated her as if nothing had happened. She tried to talk to him about it, but he always had an excuse. On that day, she felt as if she was truly nobody. 

But they didn't have only that night. During the war, there were other nights, and she always woke up alone, and on the next day, for him, nothing had happened. In the beginning, Hermione tried to reject Harry, but he kissed her with so much love, his touch was so tender, that she always ended up giving away. 

The war ended, and she thought they could finally stay together. She was wrong. After the end, he was even more cruel. Hermione tried everything, but Harry was always cold, indifferent, stupid. So, one day, she got tired of it, and decided to leave the magic world for good. 

"Mione?" Mark was calling her, "Mione, we arrived." 

She looked at him, her eyes holding some tears. Memories, she didn't like them, they usually made her suffer. 

"Is everything all right?" Mark asked, worried. 

"Yes." But he didn't believe her. 

They went into the restaurant and ordered the food. The silence was bothering Mark. 

"Hermione, why don't you tell me what's going on?" 

"Nothing is going on, Mark. " 

"You're very weird today." 

"It's nothing.", she smiled at him. "I just don't want to talk about it." 

"I don't like to see you sad. Why don't you try to tell me what the problem is? I can try to help you... Is it about the novice who is going to work with you?" 

"Yes...", she surrendered. 

Mark didn't say anything, just looked at her, encouraging her to say: 

"Do you know who the novice is, Mark?" 

"No... Who?" he asked, curious. 

"Harry Potter." 

"Oh!" Mark looked at her, surprised. "That Harry Potter?" Mark knew Mione was a witch. After all, the day the judge got the clown face, he was in court, working with her. He knew the whole story of when Hermione was in the magic world. What she'd been through. They were good friends. He was her best friend now. 

"That Harry Potter." She said, in a low voice. 

"I'll talk to Phillip, try to convince him to let me work with you on this case." Mark said, seriously. He was always like that, always protective and obliging. 

"Ah, Mark, you know Phillip is determined to make me work with him. There's nothing you can say to make him change his mind." 

"What is he doing here? You told me he worked in that world you came from..." 

"Yes, I thought that too. I'd like to know what he is doing here. Why work with me? Of course, if I ask, the answer won't be given very nicely. I won't let him do to me everything he did in the past. This time, things will be different. And could we, please, change the subject? I really don't want to talk about it?", she said sadly. 

"Okay." And seeing her sad face, he added, "Hey, I don't want to see you sad." He grabbed her hand, saying "Come on, give me some smile..." 

Hermione surrendered and smiled at him. 

Harry was walking through London streets, remembering there was a very good restaurant somewhere around. When he passed in front of it, he could see, through the window, Hermione and Mark. He was holding her hand, and she was smiling. While watching the scene, he felt that hand squeezing his heart again. He closed his eyes, in an attempt to block it out. They... they brought back the memories from the time she was with Ron, the betrayer. '_No_', Harry thought. '_I will not suffer again... Enough..._'. When he opened his green eyes, there was anger in them. 


	3. Ronald Weasley

****

Light and Shadow 

****

Translator: Carol Grissom

****

Author: Ligia Maria Araki 

****

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, or Ligia's 

****

e-mail: carol_bio_@hotmail.com 

****

Beta'd by: Saerelle 

Chapter 3 - Ronald Weasley 

Luxembourg. No, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Situated between France, Germany and Belgium, it's a small and independent territory. It was created by the big nations, attending to some political and geographic conveniences in a certain moment of the Europe History. Austria, Spain, France, Dutch land and Germany had all invaded it. A country of mineral riches, which are now gone. Currently, what makes the money in that place is the banks, a fiscal paradise. A rich place, it's necessary to walk far to find a poor neighborhood or an old car. 

But it wasn't because of any of this that Ronald Weasley chose to live in Luxembourg. It was because it was a small country, so there wouldn't be many wizards. And he was right. The existing ones were very old people, and had practically lost all contact with the magic world. One reason was that there wasn't a local magic commerce. If somebody wanted something, it would be necessary to go to Germany or France. 

After he'd left England as a fugitive, he'd been through many countries: Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, until he reached Luxembourg. He thought the place was perfect. Living among muggles wasn't exactly what Ron wanted, he'd always thought his father's mania for muggle things was foolish, but it was thanks to these foolish things he managed to survive among them. His father... How was he now? And his mother? His brothers... Ginny... He missed them a lot. 

While in Ireland, he had worked as a waiter in a very fancy restaurant. With the money he earned, plus the tips, he could pay for a small business course. After all, he needed to have a better profession. Thank to that course, he now worked at a Medieval Castle in Viaden, a tourist spot on the border with Germany. He lived in the capital of the country, and the trip to Viaden wasn't long. After all, the Grand-Duchy wasn't that big. Ron was the administrative manager of the place. 

One day Marie, a journalist working for the Television Luxembourg radio, went to the Castle to make a report about some event that would be happening there. They started as so many couples do. They went out sometimes, dated, became engaged and now they were married. Ron loved Marie with all his heart, and just the thought of losing her made him depressed. After two years, little Aimeé was born, and now she was five years old. The two of them were the passion of his life. None of them ever knew he was a wizard, and more, a Death Eater. 

A family... He never thought he would ever have one when he left England as a fugitive. Now he had, and there he would get a lot of love and tenderness. He didn't think he deserved it at all, after all, he was a betrayer. He had betrayed his family, and principally his friends... Harry... Mione... He regretted so much his choice to go to the other side. 

The truth was he had become tired. He was always the second choice. First, at home, where he had a lot of brothers, he was always excluded. At least he thought he was. Then, at school, where the 'famous' Harry Potter was always the center of attentions. Harry even got Hermione, his 'teenage love'. Ron was his 'little pet', and always a reason for a joke because of it. Not only to Draco Malfoy, but deep inside, everybody thought that way. The lack of money, one thing adding to another, and Ron decided that, as soon as possible, he would join the other side. He wanted to prove he was more then that, that they underestimated him. 

So one day, at Diagon Alley, he was buying the materials for his last year in Hogwarts when he passed in front of the Knockturn Alley and saw Mr. Malfoy. He thought it was his opportunity to join the other side. He went into the forbidden alley and waited beside a stair for Lucius to pass. But Malfoy Senior stopped and started a dialog with an old man, which lasted quite a long time. Ron was almost giving up when he saw Lucius Malfoy walking towards him. 

__

"Well, well, well... What is a Weasley doing at a place like this?" The man showed some superiority in his voice. 

"I'd like to talk to you, Mr. Malfoy." Ron tried to keep his voice strong. 

"Talk to me? Stupid kid, you have no right to talk to me. ", he said in the same tone of voice and kept walking. 

Ron grew very angry at being ignored. He said, with a determined voice: 

"I'm sure it will interest you very much." 

Lucius had never heard one of the Weasley's kids talk to him. 

"Be brief.", he said with disdain in his voice. 

"I know you are a Death Eater, and I want to become one." 

Mr. Malfoy just looked at the human being in front of him and started to laugh. A Weasley a Death Eater? Must be a joke. 

"You? A Death Eater? Don't be ridiculous, boy." Lucius said, still walking. 

"Are you sure I'm being ridiculous?" Now Ron's voice was threatening "I'm a friend of Harry Potter.. I'm the last person in the world somebody would suspect. What do you think Voldemort would think when he hears you underestimated someone like me to be a Death Eater?" 

By the tone of his voice, and because he said the name of his Lord, Lucius Malfoy stopped and decided to listen to what the young man in front of him had to say. 

"Why do you want to become a Death Eater?" Lucius asked, intrigued. 

"Because I'm tired of being the "idiot" Ron. I want to prove I have nothing of idiot. I want to prove I'm more that everybody thinks." His voice was so determined that Lucius started to consider the idea. 

"Very well... I'll get in touch." With that he turned and continued on his way. 

At first, Ron had thought he had been presumptuous, and regretted for a moment what he had done. But when he got back to Hogwarts, Hermione broke up with him, and Ron knew it was because of Harry. His rage against his 'friend' came back. He knew they weren't dating again, and as soon as they broke up, Harry was the same again. But every time he saw them together, every time he saw them laughing, and chatting (after all they were friends and had the right to), doing things he thought only he had the right to, the rage increased, and he became very sure of his decision to go to the dark side. 

He was starting to think Mr. Malfoy didn't take seriously what he said, when, in the end of the seventh year, he got an owl. In it was written that if he didn't regret his choice, he should start to prepare himself, because he would meet the Lord soon. 

While most of his friends were getting prepared to get into the Aurors Academy, Ron just managed to get a job at the Ministry. Everybody thought it was because he didn't want to fight in the front line, but Ron knew the true reason behind his decision: Why become an Auror, when he could become a Death Eater? 

The 'meeting' between Ron and Voldemort didn't take too long. He received another note stating the place and at what time he should be there. Ron gave the excuse of 'having to travel due to the work at the Ministry', and went to meet the destiny he would regret so much later. 

He had never felt such fear in his life as when he stood face to face with Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord wasn't sure why Ron wanted to be a Death Eater, but when he heard the determination in the boy's voice he ended up accepting him. Ron got a mark on his arm, just like the others had, and the Lord said that, for that moment, he would be working just as a "double agent". Ron would get inside the Order and bring Him some information. 

And so he did. But he started to get tired of it, because it seemed like no one there trusted him, and they were always asking for a vote of trust. Voldemort gave him this vote. Ron was so thankful the Lord didn't ask him to bring Harry Potter to him. Yes he was mad at his "friend", but he didn't want to see him dead. The mission was quite different. He would attack Hogsmead together with the others, and so everybody saw that he had changed to the other side. 

Since he attacked the small magic village, he had ended up in the "front line", and attacked many other places, killed lots of people. It was in one of those battles that he ended up hurting Ginny, his sister. He was so shocked, after all, she was his sister, his younger sister, the person he loved the most, and he almost killed her. That was when he really first regretted his choice. He disappeared and started to run away. Voldemort didn't mind. The dark Lord thought that Ron was dead, or had been caught. He was worried about other things: The attack on Hogwarts. The final battle. 

Now Ronald Weasley was walking along Boulevard F. Roosevelt carrying his daughter in his arms. He was going to bring her to school, and then go to Vianden. He didn't like much to work in that castle, it reminded him too much of Hogwarts, but the salary was good. Now that he had a family, he should worry about it. 

"Bye, dad", Aimeé said with her sweet voice. 

"Bye, honey. Behave yourself, ok? Mom will pick you up later." Ron said kindly. 

He waited until the girl went inside the school, then he turned his back and continued on his way. 

Later, on that same day, he received an urgent phone call saying his wife was waiting for him at home. He left is work in a hurry, and when he got there he saw his wife sitting in the sofa crying. The house was all messed up. It seemed like a hurricane had passed through it. Cops were walking through and asking questions, but Ron didn't hear any of them. He was just looking at the wall, where there was a Dark Mark. He asked his wife: 

"What happened? ", he asked, hugging her. 

"Oh, Ronald... They took our daughter..." The woman cried as he held her in his arms. "I tried to fight, but I couldn't..." 

Ron closed his eyes. He knew exactly who had taken his daughter. Voldemort was dead, but the Death Eaters were trying to get back some power. They had found him in Luxembourg, but Ron said he was out of the plan, and didn't want to know about them anymore. Of course, they didn't accept the answer and said he would have to cooperate, in a good or bad way. As a revenge, they had taken his child. 

After the cops had left, Ron turned to his wife and said, seriously: 

"Marie... I think we need to talk. There are some things about my past you should know..." 

And Ron told her everything: Since Hogwarts, until he had come to this country. She didn't believe one damn word, so he went to their bedroom and brought his wand out. He did a little magic, and Marie looked at him, shocked. 

"Haven't you seen this mark in the wall before?", he asked. 

"No... I mean, it's not strange to me..." she answered, still shocked. 

Ronald just took off his blazer, then his shirt, and showed the woman in front of him the mark on his arm. 

Marie was furious. 

"You bastard... I thought that thing on your arm was just a tattoo... They took my daughter because of you! Just because you are a wizard, because you fought for the wrong side, they took my daughter... They took my baby...", she said, crying desperately. 

He said nothing, just held his wife tight. 

"I'm sorry... Marie... I'm sorry..." Ron was saying, desperately, "How could I know I would meet you... I love you." Now he was making his wife look at him. "I love our daughter, I never thought I deserved a family, and once I had one... I couldn't be part of their plans. You two are the most important thing I have..." 

Marie got rid of him and, looking at him as if he was a stranger, said with disgust: 

"I don't know you. I don't know who you are..." But Ron interrupted her. 

"Marie... My love, please..." He tried to get closer, but the woman started to shrink away from him. "Don't say such a thing... I'll bring her back." This last phrase was said fiercely. 

"Ah! And you think you'll face all those nuts alone? You're only one, and... and... they're a bunch of... A bunch of them came here today and took my daughter!" Marie was now hysterical. 

He looked at her and said, with a strong voice: 

"I'll bring her back. Even if I have to die for it." 

"You had better do that, Weasley! And when you bring her, please forget you have a family!", she finished with a lethal voice, turned her back to him, and went out of the room, slamming the door behind her. 

Ron just sat on the sofa and started to cry, desperately. He had lost everything. All he loved the most, because of a mistake he made in the past. But he would try to fix it. He would bring his daughter back. 


	4. Disclosure

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Light and Shadow 

****

Translator: Carol Grissom

****

Author: Ligia Maria Araki 

****

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, or Ligia's 

****

e-mail: carol_bio_@hotmail.com

****

Beta'd by: Samantha Schroeder

Chapter 4 - Disclosure

Hermione walked through the corridors that lead to her office. When she got inside, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was another desk in there. _"Ah! No... Phillip went too far now,"_ she thought.

She went to her "boss" office,but things wouldn't be just like that. The secretary even tried to stop her from getting inside the room, but it was useless. She got in, facing the man in front of her. She was furious. Phil was on the phone,and when he saw her, he smiled. Now she was even more furious.

"Hermione, darling, what can I do for you?" Phillip said, hanging up the phone.

"What is that desk doing in my office?" She was getting red.

"What do you mean? That desk is for Harry."

"HE IS GOING TO STAY IN MY OFFICE?" Her voice was louder than she expected.

"Of course, yes." Phillip was still smiling and Hermione felt like strangling him. 

"He's your partner. How do you expect to work with him, if he's not around?"

"There are thousands of rooms in here... Why did it had to be in MY room?"

"Hermione, what is your problem? I know you didn't like the idea of having someone to work with, but why are you so nervous?" Phillip asked, surprised with the woman's reaction. Hermione never reacted like this.

"Problem? Well, apart from the fact that I hated him, there is no problem." Now she was walking from side to side in the room. 

"But why didn't you like him?" Phillip asked surprisedly. "He is a great person. A very good lawyer."

"Ah! He may be a good lawyer, but as a person, he fal..." She realized the stupid thing she was about to say, and tried to fix it, "A good person, he is not."

"So, since you didn't like him, think at least in the great lawyer he is, and try to forget he isn't a great person."

"But..." 

"No buts. You have work to do, and I'm very busy, so, if you'll excuse me..." Phillip interrupted, before she finished. He was serious. Hermione had learned that when he wasn't smiling, it was because the thing was serious. So, she decided to leave the room, and no more discussing.

In her way back to her room, she passed in front of Mark's office, and decided to stop.

"Mark! Did you know there is an extra desk in my office?"

"No..." Mark looked at her, confused.

"Phillip sent it... For Harry."

"Hmm... Is he staying in your office? This is going to be interesting..." Mark said, debauched.

"Come on, stop joking. It won't be funny." She sat in front of her friend.

"Well, try to avoid talking too much to him."

"What are you thinking? That I'm going to sit in front of him and chat?" The idea of sitting in front of Harry and asking, _"Hey, what's up?" _seemed absurd.

"But I didn't say you had to do it." 

"Why in my office? And what about my privacy?" Hermione said, still pissed off.

"Did you talk to Phillip?"

"Yes... it didn't make any difference. He is staying in my room." 

"So, you'll just have to accept it." 

"Yes, I know... Mark? Could I move to your room?"

"Ah! No..."

"And why not?" Hermione asked, offended.

"Because then I would lose *my* privacy," Mark answered, somewhat strangely.

She smiled. Only he could make her smile in a moment like this. As she was leaving, he called.

"Hermione? If you need something, say it!" he said, obligingly.

"Okay... You're going to hear a lot," she said, still annoyed.

The moment she got inside her office, she took a deep and tired sigh. On her desk there were a lot of folders, books and papers, about the new case. It would surely be a tiresome day.

Harry got back just two hours later. He found Hermione among many folders, books and papers. He couldn't avoid a smile. It reminded him of Hogwarts, where you could always see her around with tons of books. In some way, she was still the same.

"You're late!" she said coldly.

"And? So what?" he answers, with disdain.

She said nothing, just gave him a killer look.

"This desk... Is it for me?"

"It would appear that way, wouldn't it? I already have one, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Seems like your lunch wasn't good at all, was it?"

"Why do you say that?" she asks, still looking at a folder she was reading.

"Bad mood..."

"Ok, Potter." She wasn't reading anymore,she was just looking at the man in front of her with anger. 

"I wasn't happy to know I'll have to work with you." Harry was going to say something, but she didn't let him. "And I think you're not that happy about working with me. So, let's make things easier. Just sit at that desk and do your job."

"I'd like to, but it's not easy. You're monopolizing all the folders, files, papers..." he said, pointing at her desk.

So, Hermione stood up and practically threw a pile of folders at Harry.

"Enjoy them," she said, with a superior look.

The afternoon was very interesting. Meaning, silent. After their explosive little dialogue, neither of them said a single word. They were very entertained reading all those things. Hermione couldn't avoid looking at him occasionally. Harry was sitting back in his chair, very serious, and had one hand holding his chin. He was wearing a suit. A beige suit and a green shirt, fitting with his eyes. She couldn't remember ever seeing him dressed like that before. He was so much more handsome now. But one thing still intrigued her. What the hell was he doing there? After all, according to the last news she heard, Harry was working at a department in the Ministry. What was he doing among the Muggles? And since when did he know about Muggle law? There were so many questions in her head, but Hermione knew that they probably wouldn't have answers.

It was almost dark when the phone rang. It was Mark.

"Hey, Miss! You're not thinking about sleeping here in the office, are you?"

"Hmm... No, it's just..." but Mark completed it:

" 'I was so entertained with this case that I didn't realize what time it was...'"

"Actually, it wasn't only the case that was entertaining me. I was trying to find other answers..." Hermione looked at the green eyed man sitting at the desk in front of her, and wondered if he was paying any attention to what she was saying.

"And did you find out what he is doing here?" Mark asked, curious.

"No. Maybe I'll never know."

"How long do you think he intends to stay?"

"I have no idea. Hope not too long."

"Go home, Hermione. Have some dinner, take a shower, take some rest. Thinking all the time won't help."

"Yes, I know..."

"And what about the case?" Mark asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing interesting so far. It's a very simple case." Now she was using a low voice. "I don't understand why Phillip thought I needed help."

"Maybe this Halkins is his friend. You know how he is when something involves his friends..."

"A friend accused of murder?" Hermione asked, thinking the idea was a bit strange.

"Who knows? Maybe he really wants to hire this Potter, to work here in the office, and he is just "testing" him."

"Testing? Don't say that..." she said, despondent.

"I know you don't like him working here, but as I said before," Mark assumed a debauched air, "it will be interesting...."

"Oh, Mark. I'll make sure you're the next victim."

"No, no, no. You know him already. Don't bring me into it. Well, I'm leaving. Are you?"

"Sure, I'm leaving now."

"So, see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow, Mark."

After she hung up the phone, Hermione prepared to leave. Turning to Harry,but trying to appear indifferent, she asked, "Aren't you leaving?"

"In a minute," he answered without taking his eyes off the folder he was reading.

When she had almost reached the door, Harry called to her, indicating the folder he was reading.

"Hermione? Do you mind if I take this?" 

"Whatever," she answered, indifferent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Harry left the office, it was past nine. Before going home, he went to see his godfather.

When he got to Sirius' house, he wondered if he should knock on the door, or if he should just go in without announcement. He decided to apparate to Sirius' office. He knew well enough that his godfather would surely be there now, but Sirius seemed startled when he saw the man that appeared in his office.

"I'm sorry," Harry started. "I didn't know if I should knock, or just come in... I know Jennifer goes to bed early."

"No problem," Sirius said, recomposing himself. "What are you doing here at this time of night? Any problems?"

"Actually, yes..."

"And what is it?" Sirius asked, curious.

"Do you have any vodka?" Harry asked, looking at his godfather's bar, and quickly changing the subject.

"Well, I did, but you drank the whole bottle."

"What do you have?"

"Are you looking for a Muggle drink?" Muggle drinks were stronger.

"Yes," Harry said, still looking at the bar.

"Muggle drinks... I only have whiskey. That's what my Muggle friends drink. You're the only one who likes vodka." 

Sirius started to get worried, his godson only drank strong drinks when things weren't doing good, or when something was bothering him. And he started to have an idea about what he was doing there.

"That'll work," Harry said, serving it straight.

"You shouldn't drink like that, Harry." His voice was disapproving. 

"Won't do you any good. You might become an alcoholic."

"Nobody cares about it," Harry said, seemingly indifferent.

"I care," Sirius said seriously.

Harry said nothing. Now, looking at the man in front of him, he remembered what he was doing there, and started to get angry.

"Do you know exactly the case I'm working on in that office, Sirius?" Harry was now serious and looking at the glass in his hands.

"I have a brief idea," Sirius said, a bit defensively.

"No, you don't have a "brief idea". You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"What are you talking about?" Now he WAS being defensive.

"Sirius, playing the fool isn't one of your qualities." Harry hated when his godfather omitted details about the "missions" he was working on.

"I'm not playing the fool."

"Do you know who this Halkins is?" Harry was still looking at the glass, trying to contain his anger.

"A Muggle, accused of murder, but the person who actually committed the murder was a wizard."

"Yes, a wizard..."

"Who is the wizard?" Harry was looking at his godfather, furious.

"I don't know... Who is it?" Sirius was now *really* playing the fool.

Harry stood up, and handed his godfather the folder he had brought from the office. He turned to the bar and this time he didn't get another drink. He grabbed the bottle and took it with him.

"What exactly do I have to look at in this folder?"

"Page 115."

Sirius started to read, and when he ended, he stared at his godson.

"Yes, what's the big deal?"

"This man, the one who was murdered. He was a Death Eater, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was." Sirius was now cautious.

"Did you pay close attention to the statement?"

"Yes, it says that Joseph Soares was walking in a park at night when he saw a blond man fighting with John Wendell, the Death Eater. The blond killed John with a stick. It just so happens that the only blond man found in the park that night was Andrew Halkins." Sirius repeated what he had read.

"This Joseph Soares is our key witness to Halkins' "crime", Sirius. Now, tell me what you read at the end." Harry was still irritated.

Sirius dropped the folder on the table, went to the bar, took a glass and served himself some of the whiskey Harry was drinking.

"Joseph Soares doesn't know how to say it, but after killing the man, the blond became red-haired." Sirius surrendered. He sat back in his chair, looking at his godson.

"You knew that, didn't you?" Harry's voice was low.

"I did," he comfessed.

"And why didn't you tell me?" His voice was still low, but he was saying it pausedly.

"I didn't think it was necessary," Sirius says, calm.

"You didn't think it was necessary..." Harry's voice was still low, and Siruis hated it when he did that, because he could never hear what Harry was saying.

"We have no evidence it was... Ron, Harry." Sirius began to soften.

"Oh, no!" Harry was ironic "How many redheads do you think would kill a Death Eater?" Harry was practically yelling. "Do you know where he's been after the war?"

"Luxembourg. But we couldn't spy on him there because the country doesn't have a Ministry of Magic. By the way, there are practically no wizards there." Sirius was trying to calm down his godson.

"Is there someone after him, now that he is in England?" Now the younger man was standing up, walking through the office.

"We don't know if it was really him, Harry."

"And till you find out, he won't be under surveillance?"

"No. We're trying to find him."

"What is he doing back here?"

"We don't know if it was Ron!" Sirius was losing all calm.

"The Weasleys aren't the only red-haired family in England. But we've had information that the Death Eaters who weren't arrested are making some kind of conspiracy to get back to the power."

"And who is in charge of it?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

"Ah! I can't believe that idiot is not arrested yet."

"Harry, you know how smart Lucius is. He always finds a way out." Sirius didn't like the idea of seeing Malfoy around either.

"And if this conspiracy really exists, then it's obvious that the man who killed Wendell is Ron." Harry was angry because his godfather had fooled him.

"It's just not like that, Harry. Ron has a family now."

"A family?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Yes. A family. A wife, journalist for an important TV station in Luxembourg, and a five year old daughter. Both Muggles. I don't think he would lose all the calm and comfort of a family. Because from what we know, he ran away before the war ended."

Harry didn't say a word. He just sat down and served another drink.

"Why me, Sirius?" Harry asks, without understanding. He was a little hurt, and Sirius hadn't heard Harry like that for a long time.

"Because you're my best man. I'm not saying it just to comfort you, or for you to take this job. I say it because it's true, you know that." He sat down in a chair beside his godson. "You need to face the past too, so that you can live in peace. I only could live in peace because I faced it." 

He didn't say anything. He just looked at the godfather as if understanding what he was saying. The problem now was this: what would Hermione say after reading that folder?


	5. Discoveries

**Light and Shadow**  
  
Translator: Carol Grissom  
  
Author: Ligia Maria Araki  
  
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, or Ligia's  
  
e-mail:   
  
Beta'd by: Molly Bridenbaugh

Chapter 5 - Discoveries

It was a very pleasant morning, Hermione saw the winter sun breaking into her room through the window. She didn't feel like getting out of bed for many reasons. In all of her years working as a lawyer, she had never felt like this, like disappearing.  
  
She finally got up, and went to the bathroom. She wanted to take a long bath, but she saw she didn't have time for that. She just got into the shower and let the warm water fall over her body. She leaned her forehead on the cold wall and stood like that for several minutes, without moving. Just the thought of going to the office and spending hours with Harry was disconsolate. It was funny, after all, he was her best friend, her boyfriend, her lover. And she couldn't stand to share the same space with him. Maybe she could, if it was the old Harry, the one back from school. Not this one he had became after the war.  
  
She got out of the bathroom and went to the closet. She stopped for a moment, thinking about what she should wear. "Don't be ridiculous!" she thought. " You never had problems choosing what to wear, why should you have now?" She ended up deciding to wear black, from head to toe. A skirt, black wool socks, because of the cold, boots that reached her knees, a confortable black sweater, and of course, an overcoat. She wasn't in mourning, but her outfit reflected how she was feeling.  
  
When she arrived in the office, she was relieved to know that Harry wasn't there yet. At least she would have her room back for a few moments.  
  
"Wow! Who died?" Mark said, walking into the room. He thought it strange to see Hermione all in black. She never used black like that. There was always something of a different colour.  
  
"Nobody, why?"  
  
"Are you in mourning?" Mark asks, pointing at her clothes.  
  
"Is it bad?" she asks, looking at herself.  
  
"No, on the contrary, you're as beautiful as aways," he answers, smiling.  
  
"Thank you very much," she says, shyly.  
  
"So? Where's your favorite partner?" Mark asked, changing the subject.  
  
"I have no idea. I'm enjoying it. At least I can have my room back for a few minutes."  
  
"Are you asking me to leave?" he asked, offended.  
  
"No! Mark, I would never do that," she answered, smiling.  
  
"Ah, good! Well, I'm here to borrow a book. I need "Integrated Law". Do you have it there?"  
  
"Yes... Somewhere I can't remember..." Hermione says, looking over her desk.  
  
"You? The "Miss Organization" doesn't know where a book is? Something must be quite wrong..." Mark says debauched.  
  
"Don't bother, Mark. This kind of thing happens once in a while."  
  
"So when you find it, could you please bring it to me? I'll let you enjoy this moment alone with you room. Ah! Just one more thing, you'll have lunch again with me, right?"  
  
"Yes. I don't know why you're asking, I always have lunch with you," Hermione answered, still looking for the book.  
  
"Okay. I'm waiting for the book. And please try not to take too long looking for it, because I've got a lot of work to do," Mark says, provoking her.  
  
"If you keep joking, you won't get the book!"  
  
"Okay, okay. I'm leaving." And he left the room.  
  
A few minutes later Hermione found the book, and as she was about to leave the room, she saw Harry standing in the door. It seemed like they were both thinking the same thing when they got dressed this morning. Unlike the day before, Harry was dressed in all black. The only difference (a bit of color) was the tie - a wine red. Hermione was starting to think she liked him in suits, he really looked atractive.  
  
"You're late again," she said in a dry voice. "I don't know if you were told, but here we start at nine o'clock."  
  
"Yes, I was told. What are you going to do? Take off twenty points because I'm late?" Harry says, ironicly, referring to the times back to school, when she was a prefect at Hogwarts. "Or maybe you'll go to Phillip, tell him I'm late by..." He checked his watch, "fourty minutes. After all, you haven't changed a bit. You're still a bootlicker, as before, aren't you 'my dear Hermione'," Harry finished meanly.  
  
"No. I won't take you twenty points, or say anything to Phillip." Hermione tried to stay neutral, by showing she didn't care about what he said. "It just so happens that, different from you, people like me. Not because I'm a bootlicker, they simply like me. It must be very painful, isn't it, Potter? No one to call you 'dear'. Ah! Yes, there's Molly, but I don't think she counts. She would even call an animal dear" Mione also finished meanly, and left the room.  
  
Harry was surprised. He had pictured every possible reaction, except this one, returning on the same level. He felt exactly how other people felt when he acted that way to them when he acted like that to people. No one had never been so intense. What Hermione said was a lot worse than what he said. It hurt, simply because it was true. No one had called him "dear Harry" for so long.  
  
Ron had been walking through London's streets for at least two hours. Obviously, he was undercover. Every day he was a different person. He arrived as an elderly man. He had already been a twenty year old boy, blond, brunet, grezzly, escept redheaded, his natural. He'd never been too good in transfiguration, but after he had become a Death Eater, and worked as a "double agent", he had to learn it. And thanks to that no one could recognise him now  
  
He knew that killing Wendell was a big mistake. It happened because Ron had lost his mind when he heard John Wendell was in Luxembourg, and in the gang that had kidnapped his daughter. He also knew that if he lost his mind like that again, he would be in an even worse situation. He couldn't go out killing all the people who were in that group. He didn't care if the Death Eaters were dead, he only cared about his daughter beeing alive. He had to bring her back to Luxembourg alive, to try to regain Marie's trust.  
  
Marie... His wife. After that conversation they had, she left their home. She said she would go to a friend's house, and that she never wanted to see him again. Marie didn't believe Ron could bring Aimeé back, actually she believed her daughter was dead. He tried every way to talk to her, but he didn't succeed. For Marie, it was like if Ron was dead too. He would never forget the look on her face. Ut hurted him so deeply. He loved his family, and would love to have it back.  
  
When he arrived in England, he installed himself in the suburb. In the dangerous part of the city, in a terrible hotel. But he wasn't there for torism. He was there to save his daughter, so it didn't care where he was living.  
  
He had wanted to go to the Diagon Alley for so long. He wanted to see if he could find someone from his family. He just wanted to see them. Actually, he wanted to go back to the Burrow, to say he was sorry he chose the wrong side, and that he deeply regretted it. But he had no guts to do that. That's when he had to face the truth. He was weak. He always had been.  
  
He reached the Leaky Caldron and stood in front of it for several minutes. No one would recognise him, of course, once again he was an elderly man. He arrived as an elderly man at the hotel, so everytime he left or arrived there, he would have to look like that, and since that day he didn't feel lke transfigurating himself every time....  
  
After standing there for quite a long time, Ron decided he would go in. Diagon Alley had changed a bit since the last time he had been there. He just walked through the streets, with no specific destination, just watching. That was when he saw a shop that caught his attention. It was quite big, on a sign it could be seen two identical redheaded men smiling. It was written Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Before he could realize what he was doing, he was inside it, looking arround. He couldn't remember it being so big, and he couldn't avoid beeing happy for his brothers. It ment their buisness was prospering.  
  
Ron walked through the shelves. The store was divided in sections. School stuff, kitchen stuff, sugary... When in this section, he couldn't avoid a smile when he grabbed a pack of "helium candies". These were mint candies, but they left people's voices very "fine", seeing like they'd breathed helium gas. He remembered Hermione had named it, saying there was a gas that made people's voices stay like that, after Harry ate "accidentally" one of them. It happens that the candy was still in the testing phase, and the effect, supposed to last just a few minutes, lasted for almost a day. They surely took care of this problem. Then a voice caught his attention.  
  
"Fred!" That was george. "We need more invisible inkpots in Hogsmeade. Did you check the stock?"  
  
"Yes! We don't have enough, but I dispached what I found last night."  
  
He stood just staring at the cash, where his brother Fred was covered by lots of parchments, counting. His twin brothers were never good at counting. How were they making it work right?  
  
"Oh, Merlin! Why doesn't it fit?" And yelling, says, "GEORGE! Where is Bill to help me with these?"  
  
"Bill wasn't at the bank anymore? Since when did he left Gringotts?" Ron thought. He always loved working there, and now he worked with the twins? That was when he heard a very familiar voice behind him.  
  
"May I help you sir?" That was Ginny. She was very helpful and smiling.  
  
Ron didn't say a word. He just stared at the woman in front of him, surprised. She was a lot prettier, and her wavy hair reached her shoulders. He held himself back, trying not to hug his younger sister and cry. Of all his siblings, Ginny was the closest to him. Maybe because they had almost the same age, and when they wre young, they played with each other, because the others were older, and didn't have much patience.  
  
"Is everything okay, sir?" Ginny asked worried, realizing that there was something wrong with the man in front of her.  
  
"Yes," Ron says, smiling. "Everything is okay, I'm sorry."  
  
"There's no problem," Ginny said once more, smiling. "How can I help you?"  
  
"Help?" Ron asks, still surprised at seeing his sister.  
  
"Yes." She was starting to think the man in front of her was totally weird. "Are you taking the helium candies?" she says pointing at the pack in his hands.  
  
"Candies?" And looking at his hands, he said, "Ah! Yes, I'll take them."  
  
"I don't know if you realised, but this is a joke shop. And these candies aren't common candies..." Ginny decided to explain. After all, the man seemed quite weird.  
  
"Ah! I know, I'm taking these for my grandkids."  
  
"Really? It isn't very usual the grandparents come to our shop to buy our products for their grandkids. They usually show up to reclaim. The only granfather who comes here is my father," Ginny said, smiling.  
  
"Father?" Now Ron was really surprised. Since when his father was a grandfather? Well, he had Aimeé, but surely his father didn't know about her. "Your father is already a grandfather?" Ron asked, astonished.  
  
"Yes. Do you know my father?" Ginny asked curious.  
  
"Ahm... No, I mean, I know who your father is. Arthur Weasley, right?" Ron tries to fix.  
  
"Yes. Well, it was expected, wasn't it? We are a lot of sons... It was expected to my father to have grandkids."  
  
"And how many grandkids do your father have?" Ron asked, curious.  
  
"Five."  
  
"Five?" Now he was surprised.  
  
"Yes." Ginny was smiling. "Two from Bill, one from Charlie, one from Percy and one is mine."  
  
"Did you get married?" Ron couldn't avoid the question.  
  
"I did. Are you sure you don't know us?" Ginny asked, staring again.  
  
"No. I just know who the Weasleys are." Ron saw he had to get out of there as soon as possible, before the situation got worse. "Where do I pay?"  
  
"There," she says, pointing at the cash register.  
  
When Ron left the shop, he was completely astonished. Bill left the job at the bank, Ginny got married and his father had five grandkids! Actually, he had six, including Aimeé. And how was his mother, and Charlie, and Percy? He never thought he would miss Percy, but he really missed the implicant brother. He was happy to see things were good for his family. He was happy to see they were happy.  
  
Ron was walking through the streets, distracted, thinking, when he crashed into something. Actually, he crashed into someone.  
  
"Watch your way, insolent!" It was Lucius Malfoy. He said it with his tipical superior air, and on continued his way.  
  
Ron didn't even have time to answer, when he realized who it was, Lucius was far away. So, he decided to follow him.  
  
Lucius didn't go too far. Actually, he went to Florean Fortescue. "What would he be doing at an ice cream parlor?" Ron thought. Well, it would be the last place in the world someone would suspect. Not having many choices, he sat at a close table. Soon an attendant came and asked if he'd like something. But the only thing he wanted was to find out what Lucius Malfoy was talking about to another man at an ice cream parlor, but he couldn't just stay sitting there and whatching, so he ordered any ice cream, just to get rid of the young woman. Lucius and the man ordered some milk-shake, which weren't touched at any time. Ron payed a lot of attention to the man's face, and he knew that man from somewhere. Just couldn't remember from where.  
  
"I really hope it's importat what you have to tell me," Lucius starts with his superior voice, as always.  
  
"Do you think I would call you in a place like this if it wasn't important?" Seemed like the man had the guts to face Lucius.  
  
"So why didn't you start to talk yet?"  
  
"Very well. I made the contacts. They're giving a party tonight."  
  
"And so what?" Lucius asked with disdain.  
  
"And so that we have to go to this party."  
  
"A party? Do you think I'm going to a muggle party? What do you have in your head, Boreman?" Lucius said, visiblely irritated.  
  
"Boreman?" Ron thought. "Grey Boreman? That's why they found us..."  
  
Grey Boreman was one of his wife's workmates. He could remember the day they were introduced. It was the day of a big party the Television Luxembourg Radio was giving to celebrate its twentyth anniversary. Marie introduced him as a journalist who hosted the early morning edition. Boreman was french, and it wasn't considered strange that he worked in Luxembourg, one of the oficial languages of the country was the French. And besides, during the war, Voldemort had made contacts in many countries in Europe, incuding France.  
  
"You're going to the party, Malfoy. It was you who thought we'd better have muggle contacts, remember?" Boreman was ironic.  
  
"I said the contacts had to be muggle, but I didn't say anything about participating in their stupid parties."  
  
"Do you want what they have to offer us or not? Because if you do, you'll have to go to this party. And maybe many more 'stupid muggle parties'."  
  
"All right. I'll go to the party," Lucius said, seriously facing the man in front of him. "Who else is going?"  
  
"Me, you and Karkaroff."  
  
"The gawky Karkaroff is going? No, really, Boreman, what do you have in your head?"Lucius asked, incredulous.  
  
"Of course, it was him who found the contacts."  
  
"Where is this party?" Lucius asks, not curious at all.  
  
"Brighton. I know it's a bit out of hand, but I thought it was good that it's not in London. So we won't call any attentions."  
  
"And how do we get there?"  
  
"Helicopter." The man in front of him answered, not caring about Lucius' reactions.  
  
"Helicopter? That muggle flying thing? You must be out of your mind."  
  
"No, I'm serious. It's a muggle party, Malfoy! What do you expect? That we arrive on broomsticks?" Boreman said ironicly. "And by the way, you'll be paying for the transportation."  
  
"And why me?" If the man sitting in front of him weren't a Death Eater, Lucius probably would have killed him.  
  
"Oh, Malfoy! Stop being so annoying. You have the money, I'm jusst a poor journalist... Karkaroff is the headmaster of a school... while you sleep in the money. So, why not pay for our transportation?"  
  
"Okay. I really do hope this contact is good, Boreman," Lucius said, threatening the other man.  
  
"And if it's not?" Boreman returned, in the same tone.  
  
Lucius Malfoy gave him a killing look, not believing the man in front of him had the guts to defy him.  
  
"And the girl?" Boreman asked, changing the subject.  
  
"She's in a safe place," Lucius said looking arround, to see if anyone was spying on them.  
  
"What are you doing with her, Malfoy?" Boreman asked, inquisitive.  
  
"Nothing yet. Yet. But if that idiot Weasley doesn't start to move, I'll start to have some fun..." Lucius finished with a mean smile.  
  
"Don't do anything with the girl, Malfoy. That wasn't the deal."  
  
"I'll do what I think is necessary. No one gives me orders, Boreman." Lucius was threatening again. "And besides, what do you think your dear 'Marie' is going to say when she finds out that you helped to kidnap her 'dear daughter'?"  
  
Grey Boreman said nothing. Just looked at the man in front of him, very seriously, for awhile.  
  
"I'll be in your house tonight. " Boreman decided to say and left the table, without sayng anything else.  
  
After a few minutes Malfoy did the same. Ron just whatched the blond man walking his way out. So he had his daughter. And Boreman really had a crush on his wife, he always suspected that... That's why he knew he had to be at that party tonight. He didn't know how to do it, but he had to be there. 


	6. A surprise visitor

**Light and Shadow **

**Translator:** Carol Grissom

**Author:** Ligia Maria Araki

**Disclaimer:** Characters are not mine, or Ligia's

**e-mail:**

**Beta'd by:** Molly Bridenbaugh and potter1958

Chapter 6 - A surprise visitor

Hermione was happy to know she wouldn't have to spend the morning in her office, Phillip had called her to help him on another case. Her and Mark. She found it strange that he hadn't ask for Harry also, since he had liked him so much. She didn't ask any question about it, however. So, Mione saw little of Harry in the morning, except for the two times she had to go to her office. He was still reading the material she had given him, and he didn't even take his eyes off it while she was there. It was as if she wasn't there, as if she didn't exist.

As she was leaving for lunch, something caught her attention. Harry was leaning on Susan's desk, facing her and... and he was smiling, and seemed like he was having a nice conversation with her. It was weird to see him smiling. She hadn't seen him smile like that for a long, a really long time, and seeing him doing it now, so spontaneously, was quite strange. Thinking of that made Mione sad. Harry hadn't seen her for such a long time, and when they met he was cold, sarcastic and cruel. Harry smiled at Phillip's secretary? Why did he treat her like that? Was it because of Ron, still? Hermione refused to accept that idea. He had never been, and would never be, a spiteful person. Well, she also never thought he could be mean and cruel, however, he had become exactly that. So, another thought came to mind, and she didn't feel good about it. Maybe Harry was... was flirting with Susan! She wasn't an ugly woman, on the contrary, she was thin, tall, brunette and also had green eyes. Mark had dated her for awhile, but the relationship hadn't worked out. Suddenly something brought Hermione out of her thoughts, Susan stood up and she and Harry left together. Surely they were going to lunch. Hermione looked at her watch and saw that, if she wanted to return in time, she would have to hurry, and also left the office.

When she got back, she couldn't keep her self from getting angry. Really angry. Walking into her office, she saw there was someone there. Another one to take her office off her?

"Who are you?" Her voice showed much more irritation than she planned.

"Oxford, Granger? You graduated in Law at Oxford?" he turned to face her, holding the frame containing her diploma. "Congratulations! I know it's not easy to get in there. But, of course, to the 'know-it-all-Granger' it must not have been so difficult."

"Malfoy?" She was completely shocked.

Draco was different. His hair no longer had gel, and was shorter. He was wearing a navy blue suit, no tie, and the first two buttons of his shirt were open. He looked really good in that outfit, even if it was a muggle outfit.

He had a very important role in the war. He was the spy who had brought information to the Order. Of course, would Voldemort ever suspect Draco Malfoy, son of one of his best Death Eaters? Nobody trusted him. Much less understood why he was helping the Order and risking his life. Then, in the end of the war, he married Ginny Weasley. That really surprised everyone. Never, during the entire war had anyone imagined, or suspected they were together. They had been very discrete. Lucius was furious with the marriage and cut relations with his son. Which was actually an excuse, he was really furious because his son had betrayed his cause. But Draco didn't mind. For the first time in his life he was really happy.

He got a really good job at the Ministry, in the same department as Harry. He had a good salary, and didn't miss the Malfoy money. The truth was that now Draco was a common guy. Married, and with a son. It was a strange thought, when the person you were talking about was Draco Malfoy.

"Yes. And don't make that surprised face, it's horrible." Draco tried hard, but he would never lose that tone of disdain in his voice.

"What are you doing here?" She ignored what he had just said, and kept the shocked look on her face.

"Logically it wasn't to see you. Where's Potter?"

"Potter? I don't know, he should have come back from lunch already."

"Ah! Great. Black sends me after him, because the fool doesn't answer his phone, I've been trying to find him for hours, and he decides to 'stretch' his lunch time? Why does he have a cell phone if its never on?"

"Harry has a cell phone? Sirius sent you after him? Why?" Hermione asks, intrigued.

"We have to go to a party," Draco said with annoyance.

"A party? You have to talk to him about going to a party, and it has to be now?" Hermione says, indignant.

"Granger, we're not going to have fun. We're going to work."

"Work?" Hermione thought this was her opportunity to find out what Harry was doing working among the muggles. "What is he doing here, by the way?"

"Working in this office? I don't know. Seems like a wizard killed someone and a muggle is being accused. And since Potter is Black's 'protected', and has graduated in muggle Law... of course his 'dear godfather' would never send him on a dangerous mission. Who goes is this idiot here," Draco says standing up and leaving the frame on the table.

"A wizard?" Hermione asks, strangely. "There's nothing abnormal in this case."

"Ah! Granger. I don't know, I have nothing to do with what Potter is doing here, I just want to talk to him."

"Well, then, you'll have to wait. A lot. Potter likes to be late," Hermione says, putting the frame back on the wall.

"Ah! That's so nice! Does he think I have nothing better to do? "Now Draco was sitting in an armchair.

"If you have so many things to do, why don't you go do them?"

"No." Draco now had a smile of disdain on his face. "Very comfortable, this chair."

Hermione said nothing. She just kept reading the documents for the new case, when once again she was interrupted.

"Why did you disappear?" He was really curious.

"For many reasons." Hermione wasn't expecting that.

"Which?" he insisted.

"When did you suddenly get so interested in my life, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"Granger! A woman like you would have a great career in the wizarding world. Why did you leave it all behind to be a lawyer? You were an excellent Auror, you could be working in our department."

" What is you department called again?" She was trying to change the subject.

"The Department of Disaster Prevention."

"And how does it work?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Espionage," Draco simply answered.

"Espionage?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Yes. We have people working, or spying, if you prefer, in many places, among muggles, in other countries..."

"And do you also spy?" She couldn't resist.

"Of course I do Granger! I work in the department, don't I?" he says as if she was some stupid kid.

"What are you working on now?"

"I generally work among the muggles. At the moment I'm the accountant of a gang. They sell weapons and other things."

"Wow, why do you work with these dangerous people?"

"Because there are some wizards using their services."

"You? Working among the muggles? You must be kidding." Now she was really surprised.

"Well, I went to a business school. Studied at a muggle University. And the department needs people here, so I'm one of the few which have graduated in muggle studies. Potter, for example, went to law school, Patil went to psychology... "

"Doesn't Ginny work with you?"

"Ginny? No, she works with the twins. I keep telling her she could quit that stupid job and stay home, take care of Christian. But who says she listens to me?"

"Christian?" Hermione questioned the strange name.

"Yes, my son!" Draco said with a proud smile.

"Ha! You have a kid, Malfoy? You? A regular guy? With a family? It can't be..." Hermione now smiled, not believing what she was hearing.

"Fine, Granger, say what you want, but I like the life I have. It's very nice having a wife and kids waiting for you at home."

"You've changed so much, Malfoy," Hermione finally admitted.

"Not that much," Draco says with a grimace.

"Yes you have. I could never imagine myself having a civilized conversation with you."

"Ah! I had to grow up some time, right?" he said smiling. "But you've changed too, Granger."

"I have?" Mione asked, curious.

"You have. You're not that know-it-all you used to be. You're pretty, you're different. I can't say exactly what," Draco said with sincerity.

Hermione just smiled. At that moment, Harry appeared at the door.

"Malfoy?" Harry asks, surprised.

"Ah! Why do people look so surprised at seeing me?" he asks, irritated.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, if you kept your blasted cell phone on, you surely would have known earlier, and I wouldn't have to spend hours looking for you!" Harry had a cell phone used for muggle missions. Everyone working among the muggles had one.

"I didn't bring it today. I forgot it at home. Why didn't you try to find me some other way?"

"How do you expect me to find you? Owl? Or maybe I should have used a howler? Get real, Potter," Draco said irritated.

Mione couldn't believe what she was seeing. Potter and Malfoy exchanging more than half a dozen words? Things really had changed.

"What do you want, anyway?" Harry now was impatient.

"Black called! He said there was a... " But he couldn't finish, Harry didn't let him.

"Let's talk somewhere else," Harry said, dryly.

"Somewhere else?" Draco asks, finding that strange. Why somewhere else?" And looking at Harry, then Hermione, he said, "Oh, I got it. I forgot you're not friends anymore."

Harry gave Malfoy a death glare and left the room. The blond just followed him. When they got into the meeting room, the only place he knew how to find, he asked:

"What happened?"

"As I was saying," Draco was nervous because he was interrupted, "Black called, said he has information about a group of Death Eaters who are going to Brigthon, to a party offered by that muggle gang I work with."

"Who are the Death Eaters?" Harry asked, already waiting for the answer.

"Karkaroff, Boreman and my father."

"Your father? You're working undercover, aren't you, Malfoy?"

"Potter, I always work undercover. You should do the same. Famous the way you are..." Draco said with disdain.

"In this case I didn't think it was necessary." Harry was more irritated than before. Draco may have changed a lot, but he would always find a way to throw in his face, the fact that he was "the famous Harry Potter". "And what do I have to do with it?"

"You have to go, you have to go to this party. Black's orders." Draco also was an A -1.

"I'm working on something else. I'm not going to any parties." Harry hated parties.

"Well, if you want to or not, it's your problem. But you'll have to go."

"To do what?" Harry now was sitting in one of the chairs.

"Spy. Don't play stupid. You're one of the invited. I've arranged the invitation. Do you have an escort, Potter? I can get two invitations," he said, annoyingly.

"What do these Death Eaters want with the gang you work with?" Harry asks, ignoring Draco's joke.

"They've been keeping in touch for a while. Being associated with muggles, in their thinking, wouldn't call any attention to them. This gang sells anything. From heavy armament to chemical weapons..."

"And what do the Death Eaters want with muggle armament?"

"They work with advanced things, Potter. To the Death Eaters, for example, chemical weapons would be very useful, they would kill a lot of people at once. "

"And what else?"

"I don't have time to explain what you have to do, Potter. Black wants to talk to you immediately." Draco was getting impatient with all of the questions.

"Very well, I'll go see him," Harry said, defeated. He hated to have more then one mission at a time.

"How is it to be working with Granger, Potter?" Draco couldn't avoid the question.

"That is none of your business." Harry's face told Draco 'no more questions'.

"Ah!, Come on, how can you do it? I know you had more than just a crush on her. And she is very pretty, so different..." Draco continued, ignoring the look on Harry's face.

"Pretty? Ginny won't be happy to hear that," Harry said, seriously, with an annoying tone.

"I love Ginny, but I'm not dead," he said smiling.

"The details of my cases are none of your business, especially because I don't keep asking you questions." Harry was direct, and stood up, as if saying the conversation was over.

Harry went into Hermione's office to get his things Draco went with him.

"I'm leaving," Harry said, dryly. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"As you wish. Since you're leaving early, at least come in on time tomorrow," Mione said dryly, without taking her eyes off what she was reading.

Draco Malfoy never thought he would live to see such a scene. Potter and Granger treating each other like that.

"Granger, it was a pleasure seeing you again." Draco said with a silly smile.

"I imagine so, Malfoy," she said looking at him as if doubting what he was saying.


	7. The party

**Light and Shadow **

**Translator:** Carol Grissom

**Author:** Ligia Maria Araki

**Disclaimer:** Characters are not mine, or Ligia's

**e-mail:**

**Beta'd by:** potter1958

Chapter 7 – The party

The party was in an old shed in Brighton. Of course, when Harry got there, he didn't think it seemed old. By the way, it caught quite much attention, considering it was a gang's party.

It seemed that they had transformed an abandoned warehouse into a very fancy nightclub. It had colored lights everywhere and also, a fountain spraying water, that combined with the lights, created a very nice effect.

Harry deathly hated his godfather when he got there. The loud music was giving him a headache, and with the mix of color and smoke, he couldn't see anything. He should be disguised better, but he had no intention of transfiguring himself entirely, because he didn't like to. So, he just stretched his hair and made a pony-tail, got rid of the scar and changed the color of his eyes. The truth was that whoever saw him wouldn't imagine that he was the "famous Harry Potter", so, his look was perfect.

He stopped in front of the bar and thought of asking for some vodka. But since he was working, he couldn't drink anything too strong. So he chose a tomato juice. When he drank the first gulp he grimaced. It was horrible! That was when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, you came early... I thought you didn't like parties."

"I still don't. How did you know it was me? Am I too obvious?"

"No, actually I didn't recognize you. I just guessed it was you, because you're the only one who doesn't seem to be having fun," the woman said, taking a drink that a waiter was offering.

"I'm not here to have fun."Harry was serious. "I'm here to work, just as you."

"And so what?" The woman had a superior expression, showing she didn't care about what he said. "I'm here working too, but why not have some fun?"

"Where's Malfoy?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"He's around," the woman answered, indifferently, with a slow tone of voice.

"Around? How much have you drunk so far?" he asked inquisitively, looking at the woman.

"I'm not drunk. It would take a lot more than this to get myself drunk. And speaking of which, what is it that you're having?"

"Tomato juice. "

"Tomato juice?" the woman said, laughing, "With so many things to drink, you order that?"

Harry said nothing, just kept looking seriously at the woman in front of him, showing that the subject should go no further. And she soon realized that, because she changed the subject.

"You want to know where Malfoy is? Well, take a look at that table over there."

Harry looked intently at where she pointed and saw a group of men surrounded by lots of women.

"What about it?" he asked still looking at the spot.

"Do you see the man with black hair? He's the 'boss' of the gang. The two blonds are his 'trust' men. The rest are just security or friends."

"And which one is Malfoy?"

The woman smiled and answered.

"The only one who doesn't have an escort.'

He saw a man with Latin traces, black hair reaching to his shoulders, sitting talking to the boss of the gang. He thought it was funny, the fact that Malfoy was not there with a woman. Him, the biggest playboy of Hogwarts! Ginny really had conquered him, and it wouldn't be a very good idea for him to get out of line. There would be five Weasleys and Harry to kill him.

"Very well. Now answer me: what are we doing here?" Harry asked, irritated.

"I don't know if you were told, but we're spying on Death Eaters,' the woman answered debauched.

"How are we going to do that, if we don't even know how to get up there?"

"Ah! This is a job for Malfoy."

They stood silent for awhile, then the woman excused herself and left, leaving Harry alone. And so he stood for a long time. He began to get with the music, which was starting to give him a huge headache. After a lot of waiting, Malfoy showed up escorted by the woman who had previously been talking to Harry.

"Potter. Are you having fun? Looking at your face, it would seem that you're not," Draco said with his usual voice of superiority.

Harry said nothing, just gave an irritated look to the man in front of him.

"No," the woman said smiling at Draco. "Harry is here working."

"Potter, Potter... You need to enjoy the party, have fun, dance a little. Enjoy it while you're young enough to do it, otherwise, you'll just become a boring and annoying old man. Ah! I'm sorry, you are already boring and annoying," Malfoy said smiling ironically.

"Malfoy, no stupid comments. I want to finish this and get out of here as soon as possible." Harry looked at him seriously.

"Ah, Potter! Well then, you'll have to wait a little bit longer, because I'm taking this beautiful lady to dance, because unlike you, we want to enjoy the party and have fun!" Draco said taking the woman by the hand and escorting her to the dance floor, leaving a furious Harry behind.

When Ron got to Brighton, he had no clue to how he would get in to that party, because, as he could see, only people with invitations were allowed, and he didn't have one.

So, he used a Stupefying Charm against a guest and took his invitation. He transfigured himself into a black man and went inside. It was so ridiculous and easy, the way he'd gotten what he wanted, that it made him think that being a wizard really had a lot of advantages.

Now Ron was posing as a waiter and was walking with a tray full of drinks. As soon as he reached the main room, he intently looked at everything around him. There were all kinds of people in the place. The music was loud, the place was decorated with fabrics and colored lights, and there were dancers everywhere. The doors to the prohibited area were protected by two armed men, and they didn't seem to want to hide their guns, on the contrary. The guns were very big and were showing. As if to intimidate the guests.

That was when Ron looked at the second floor. The place had a lot of security guards, maybe more than in all the rest of the building. Ron realized he would have to get in there.

Harry was now on the second floor where Draco had taken them, and he saw that there were even more strange people there, when he heard Malfoy's voice.

"Smith, this is Andrew Granville," Draco said, pointing at Harry. "And this," Draco was now pointing at the woman, smiling childishly, "is Jenny Cagle. Jenny is Andrew's fiancée."

Harry gave a dirty look to Malfoy and then looked at the woman beside him. She made a grimace after hearing what Malfoy had just said.

"Fiancée?" Smith said looking at her hand. "I don't see any ring."

"Oh! They're one of those modern couples, you know. They don't care about rings..." Draco answered before any of them could say anything.

"So, Andrew, what do you do for a living?" Smith asked shaking Harry's hand.

"I'm a lawyer," Harry said shaking Smith's hand back, who was the boss of the gang.

"Lawyer, huh? Interesting to know, maybe you could come work for me," Smith said smiling at Harry.

"We can talk about it later," he responded returning the smile.

"And you, Jenny? Do you work?" Now the man was talking to Harry's supposed fiancée.

"I work, of course. I'm a decorator." The woman smiled. It came as a seductive smile, although she hadn't mean for it to.

"Interesting. Maybe you could redecorate my bedroom," Smith said giving her a significant look.

"Who knows?" She passed her arm through Harry's. He looked at her, shocked. What did she think she was doing? "Of course, I'll go only if Andrew lets me, right honey?" Now the woman kissed Harry's cheek and looked wickedly at Draco, trying to hold back a laugh.

Harry looked at her, not very pleased with the situation... and then at Draco. This little performance was really pathetic. But the gang boss thought that the look was because of what he had said, so, he completed by saying, "Oh, but of course Andrew won't let... If I had such a beautiful fiancée, I surely wouldn't."

"Andrew isn't jealous, right sweetheart?" Now the woman was entwining her hand in Harry's, who was trying discreetly to get his hand out. Draco was struggling not to laugh. Harry was really angry with the whole situation.

"Of course not, sweetheart." He said with a serious expression, and the last word was pronounced slowly. "I trust you," he finished smiling at Smith.

"So... What do you think of the party?" Smith asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, it's great..." the woman answered smiling. "Andrew told me he was l-o-v-i-n-g it!" the woman finished looking at Harry.

"That's good... I'm glad you're having fun, now if you'll excuse me," Smith said leaving them, taking Draco with him.

As soon as the man left, Harry took his hand away from her, and she started laughing.

"I don't see anything funny in this little performance of yours and Malfoy's!" Harry said seriously.

"Oh, 'Andrew', don't be so annoying. It was fun." Changing her expression to one of hurt, she said, "Unless you don't think I'm good enough to be your fiancée..."

"Don't change the subject. I can see that you're a great actress," he said, angrily.

At that moment, Harry noticed three people reaching the second floor. It wasn't just him that noticed, but everyone there. It was obvious that the men who had just arrived did not belong there.

At the other side of the room Draco turned and as soon as he saw his father he looked at Harry, Harry returned the look and, slowly, he walked toward them.

Ron had explored the entire place, trying to find a way to get to the upper floor. Currently he was leaning over a counter in the kitchen thinking about a solution to his problem, when he heard a feminine voice beside him.

"Hey! You, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Ron answered unruffled, still thinking.

"Good, I want you to take this to the upper floor," the woman said pushing a plate of shrimps at him.

NO, he really had to admit, he was a lucky guy. He took it in such a rush that the woman had to literally run after him in the middle of the dance floor.

"Oh! Where do you think you're going?" the woman yelled because of the loud music.

"What do you mean 'where am I going'? Didn't you tell me to take this to the upper floor?"

"Yes, I did. But how do you expect to get in there without the bracelet?" the woman said, holding a bracelet and shaking it in the air, as if Ron was some kind of idiot.

"Oh! I didn't know I needed one to get in there..."

Very well, now Ron was circulating in the second floor, and there were a lot of people there. He could see Lucius, Boreman and Karkaroff sitting on a sofa. He was surprised to see Lucius wearing a suit. Actually, he never thought that he would see Lucius Malfoy wearing any muggle clothes, and it looked pretty ridiculous to him. He was the only one wearing those kind of clothes. He attracted too much attention.

He slowly moved toward the Death Eaters and left the tray on the table. He was about to leave, trying to think of something that would allow him to stay there a bit longer, when he heard the gang's boss.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"I was told to bring it up here, and that's what I'm doing," Ron answered as if Smith's question was completely meaningless. And it didn't please Smith much. He stood up irritated, holding a gun in his hand.

"Are you trying to kill me? I'm allergic to shrimp."

But Ron didn't get intimidated by the gun, or with the look he was receiving. While being a Death Eater, he learned not to be innocent and chicken-hearted.

"I don't mean to kill anybody. I'm just fulfilling orders," Ron answered in the same tone.

"You're very insolent," Smith said pointing the gun at Ron's face.

The situation became pretty tense. None of the people in the area moved. And Smith and Ron were still facing each other.

Harry, who was sitting with the Death Eaters in the small "room", thanks to Draco, went in defense of the waiter.

"Mr. Smith, maybe he really is just fulfilling orders," Harry said cautiously, anticipating the worst.

So the man looked at Harry, and then looked back at the waiter in front of him. After a few moments, he put the gun down saying, "Take this out of here And bring anything that doesn't come from the sea."

Ron, still holding the look, took the tray and left.

It was weird, not to say ironic, that Harry had defended Ron. Surely, if he knew who the waiter was, he would never have done it. Maybe the old Harry, but not this one. This one had so much rage and anger concerning his ex-best friend, that he would surely have just let things happen.

After the tension disappeared, the talking came back just as before.

"Well, as we were saying, what would be your real interest in my material, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Interest? What does it matter to you? I'm going to pay, aren't I? I think that's enough." Lucius was treating the man in front of him as totally unimportant, although he seemed dangerous.

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy, I want to know how my material will be used."

Lucius said nothing. Just looked at Boreman.

"All we can say is that it will be very well used," Boreman says.

"And it will be used in exactly what?" Smith was now impatient. It wasn't him who needed the material, but the men in front of him. And they treated him as if he hadn't any importance? "Terrorism, for example?"

Lucius looked at Boreman, as if not recognizing the word. How dare that man use a muggle expression for what they were planning? Terrorism? In Lucius Malfoy's opinion, what they would do with the material would be a lot more than simple "terrorism". It was for a far more important cause.

"You could say that," said Karkaroff, looking at Lucius as if warning him to stay quiet.

Lucius only made an impatient expression. He was starting to think that this plan of using muggle chemical weapons was really stupid. Of course, it would attract much less attention than the use of a potion. It would take sometime before someone suspected. The only thing that he wouldn't have guessed was that there were three people there from the Ministry of Magic. And he would never have suspect that one of them was his son.

"I don't know why you insist on killing people over lost causes? You should try dealing in something different. Something that really makes money, for example: drugs. It's a profitable business," Smith said looking at Lucius. He really didn't like the blond.

Boreman didn't have to look at Lucius. He knew that now the man was a lot more tense and impatient, and answered before Lucius could say anything that could ruin what they were doing there.

"No, Mr. Smith. We're here only for the merchandise that you can provide us."

"Very well. If you insist... Devon?" Smith said referring to Draco. "What do we have of the more advanced?"

"Well," Draco said looking straight at his father, with a serious and cold expression. "We have something that will surely interest you. It's a gas, that, when in the air, kills a person in less than two minutes."

"Good, and what exactly causes the death when one breathes the gas?" Lucius, seeing the expression of the man in front of him, had the feeling that he knew him from somewhere. But soon he put the idea aside. He wasn't related to muggles.

"This is another advantage of the gas. It's impossible to identify the cause of death." Draco was looking right in his father's eyes. Which made Lucius more fascinated. From where did he know that man?

After all that, Ron was back, bringing a different platter, and he could hear the last part of the conversation. It explained a lot about what they were doing in a place like this. He was almost sure that the first place to be attacked would be Hogwarts. Now he just needed to wait for the right time to get his daughter back. He placed the tray on the table and left. Not too far, still close enough to hear the conversation.

"And how much does it cost, this miraculous gas?" Boreman asked.

"It's expensive. Very expensive. Maybe I could suggest something else..." Draco knew how his father gets irritated when someone says that maybe he doesn't have enough money to buy something.

"You have no idea how much money we've got to be talking like that," Lucius said, angrily at the audacity of the man.

Harry thought it imprudent, Draco provoking Lucius. He wasn't there to solve issues from the past, so he gave Malfoy a serious look, as if telling him to stop that.

"It costs lots of Millions," Draco finally answered.

Lucius looked at Boreman, now really irritated. What were millions? How much was that in magic money? Then he looked at Karkaroff, as if he was useless. With so many contacts, he had to get the worst.

"And how shall we pay these lots of millions?" Boreman asked.

"Well, the first part now and the second when you receive the material," Draco answered.

"Logically it won't be easy to deliver such a huge amount in money..." Boreman said.

"We'll manage to find a way to resolve that issue," Smith answered nervously. Now these men want a discount? That was just what he needed.

"If you'll allow me to suggest," Harry decided to say, after all, it really was a huge amount of money to deal with. "Why don't you open an account in a fiscal paradise, Mr. Smith?"

"It's a great idea, Andrew. I would agree with that suggestion," Draco said looking at Harry with disdain.

"Yes, it's an excellent idea, Andrew. I think you really should come work with us," Smith said satisfied.

"Very well, so when..." But Boreman couldn't finish. At that moment, hundreds of cops invaded the party, guns drawn, and yelling words that no one could hear. The uproar mixed with the music that was still playing was all that could be heard. The security men started to shoot, and so did the cops.

Harry looked at Draco, who already had a gun in his hands. The woman beside him, who had played his fiancé earlier, put her hand inside her dress, looking for her wand. Immediately Harry stopped her.

"Are you out of your mind? You can't use your wand here!" Harry was yelling over the confusion.

"And why not? With all this mess, nobody would see," the woman answered taking her wand and casting a spell that Harry couldn't hear.

The light hit a man dressed in white in front of her. When they looked, to see who was hit, to Harry's surprise, he saw a red-headed man in front of him. Ron.

They looked at each other for a long time. Ron was serious, and Harry... he was looking with anger. The visual contact was broken only when he heard a scream beside him. The woman who had cast the spell was shot.

"Susan? Are you all right?" Harry helped the woman, who was falling to the ground.

"Yes, it only scratched me." Susan had a pained expression.

"I want you to leave. Now. I'm staying to help Malfoy," Harry was yelling so that the woman could hear him.

"It's okay." And disapparated.

Harry grabbed a gun from the floor. He had never gotten any use out of the shooting course that he had taken, until now. He looked around, searching for Ron, but it was too late, he was gone. So, he looked for Lucius, Boreman and Karkaroff, but they were gone too. Finally, he looked for Malfoy. He saw him shooting, but he didn't seem to be aiming at anything. That was when he saw a policeman coming up behind Draco. Harry started to move toward him, and when the policeman aimed the gun at Draco, it was too late. He was caught and Harry couldn't shoot the policeman. He looked around one more time confirming that Ron wasn't there anymore, and disapparated to the Ministry.

Harry was walking through the corridors of the Ministry looking for his godfather. He found him in the meeting room, which was crowded. When he saw his godson, Sirius stood up.

"Harry? Is everything okay?" Sirius asked seriously, but his voice had a worried tone.

"Yes, everything's okay. And Susan?"

"She was taken to the hospital. It wasn't serious, just a scratch. She'll be good tomorrow. And Malfoy?"

"He was caught by the muggle police. I couldn't shoot, or use my wand. Could I talk to you privately?"

"Of course!" Sirius excused himself and went to his office with his godson.

When they arrived, Harry told him everything that had happened at the party. The dialog of the Death Eaters and everything, till he reached the part involving Ron.

"He's in England, Sirius, I saw him." Harry was looking at his godfather with anger. Not at him. But for Ron. Anger for what he had done in the past. Anger for not having caught him at the party.

"Well... We'll put someone after him."

"No, I want to go after him."

"No, you won't," Sirius said with authority. "You're working on something else. Let me take care of it."

"No way. I'm going after him," Harry said determined. "What I'm doing isn't really important. I want to catch him. I want to catch that traitor," Harry finished, his voice full of rage.

"Harry, I said you're not going," Sirius now said with a firm voice. "When I have some news, you can be sure I'll let you know, but for now, you're going to finish what you've started."

Harry didn't say anything, just looked at his godfather. When he used that voice of authority, it meant that there was no use arguing. All he could do now was wait. And he didn't mind, as long as they caught Ron. He just wanted revenge, for what the red-head had done in the past.


	8. The day after

**Light and Shadow **

**Translator:** Carol Grissom

**Author: **Ligia Maria Araki

**Disclaimer:** Characters are not mine, or Ligia's

**e-mail:**

**Beta'd by:** potter1958

Chapter 8 – The day after

Harry arrived early at the office, after quickly stopping by his house just to change clothes. He drove through the London's streets the entire night.

He even drove along a highway for awhile. He wanted to run, he needed to free himself of all of his rage. Now he was in Hermione's office, looking at some point on the wall. He didn't even realize when she arrived.

When Hermione arrived, she was surprised to see Harry, already there in the office. He had actually arrived early that day. And they had a lot of work to do. The first hearing would be at the end of the week, practically the entire defense had to be prepared and they hadn't even gone to the prison yet to talk to Hawkin. So she started talking about everything they still hadn't done, what they had to do. Harry didn't seem to be listening to a word.

"Potter?" Hermione called.

Nothing.

"Potter, did you hear what I said?"

Once again, nothing.

Hermione, before realizing, was getting worried. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Harry," she said without realizing she was calling him by his first name. "Are you listening?"

Harry roused from his thoughts and looked at her confused. Did she seem... worried?

"No, Hermione. What were you saying again?"

"I said, we have a lot of work to do. The first hearing is at the end of the week."

"All right," he answered automatically, not really paying attention to what she was saying.

So she asked him something that, at first, seemed out of place

"What did you do to your eyes?" Mione asked looking at his eyes. The way she said that gave him a shiver. The intensity of her look... He'd forgotten that when she had that look, it seemed as if she could read his mind.

What do you mean?" he asked, averting his gaze.

"Well, until yesterday, they were green... Today they're brown," she said raising an eyebrow.

He was then in a bit of a panicked, after what she had said. He'd forgotten to destransfigurate the eyes. And if he knew Hermione, she was going to start asking questions, and would not stop until she got the answers that she wanted.

"Hmm... They're brown?" he asked, making a stupid face.

"Yes. Didn't you look in the mirror this morning?" She was still thinking that this was too weird.

"Yes... But I didn't pay attention to that particular detail."

"Why did you transfigurate yourself?" Hermione asked in an inquisitive tone that he knew too well. She was clever enough to figure out what had happened.

Somehow, the question annoyed Harry. Not because she asked it, but because it made him remember what had happened the night before. It made him remember that Ron was back.

"That is none of your business!" Harry said, his voice full of anger, and looking at her as if she was just a simple stranger.

With that, whatever level of friendship that was about to return, even if neither of them realized it, was gone in the wink of an eye, because of Harry's reaction.

"Well... If it's going to be that way, meet me in the conference room in ten minutes," Hermione said coldly, leaving the room and slamming the door.

Harry just sighed tiredly, put his elbows on the table and let his head fall in his hands. A whirl of thoughts went through his mind. He was tired of his life... It didn't seem to make any sense at all. Reluctantly, he stood up and went to talk to Hermione.

Ron should have left the hotel he was staying in to continue the investigation, but the events of the pervious night were absorbing his every thought him.

He would never have imagined he would run into him at the party. It hadn't been hard to recognize him. There weren't many people that would look at him with such rage. He had seen that look before, when Harry found out he had been a Death Eater. And he would never forget the anger, the rage he saw in his friend's eyes.

Ron was still lying in the bed, hands behind his head. He had spent the whole night like that, thinking. He couldn't find a way to get his daughter back, Aimeé... And she must be suffering, since she was in the hands of Lucius Malfoy. Every time he thought of that he was caught by a deep foreboding, a desperation, a rage, that the only thing he could think was that Lucius would die in a very slow painful way. He even thought of joining the Death Eaters to get to Lucius, but this time he wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to fix his past mistakes, he wanted to have a clear conscience again, even if he had to die for that. And thinking of death really didn't seem painful to him. He knew he couldn't go home, because his wife would never take him back, and if he knew Marie, she wouldn't let him visit Aimeé either. He would lose his family. He would lose his reason to live.

Finally, he got up. He still had a lot to do.

Harry and Hermione were in his car, on their way to the prison. There was a deathly silence between them and she was reading the folder he'd gotten from Sirius.

"Did you read this?" she asked suddenly.

"No," he answered firmly, trying to make it as convincing a lie as possible.

"What do you mean 'no'? You brought it home a few days ago." Now she was looking straight at him.

"No, I didn't." He said again.

She didn't believe him.

"Is this why you're working among the muggles?"

He didn't answer.

"Who's Wendell?" she asked insistently.

Once again, silence.

"Potter, I'm waiting for an answer." She was now very irritated.

"I don't know," he simply answered, after a long silence.

"Of course you know." Now she was really mad. "It says here that he was killed by some kind of stick. A blond man who became redheaded. Don't ignore the evidences, Potter."

But he didn't make a sound and kept looking at the road ahead. That made Hermione explode. If she was edgy before, now she was even more. She hated to be made to look like a fool.

"All right, Potter. I was quietly working along in my job, moving on with my life. Then, one beautiful day you show up in my office and start working along with me. Even worst, you didn't give me any explanation. Now, could you at least answer the questions that I ask you?" She was practically yelling.

Harry kept silent, though. Actually, he wasn't even shocked by her outburst, and kept pretending she wasn't there. She realized that she was out of control. She took a deep breath and nothing else was said.

The conversation with Halkin hadn't helped, and Harry asked questions that had nothing to do with the case. Thinking about it, Hermione remembered the talk she had had with Draco.

"_What's the name of the Department you work at, again?"_

"_The Department of Disaster Prevention."_

"_And what do you do there?" Hermione asked curious._

"_Espionage," Draco simply answered._

They were already in the parking lot, in front of the car, when Mione suddenly asked:

"What have I done wrong?"

Harry was caught by surprise and looked at her confused.

"Excuse me?"

"What have I done wrong?" she repeated.

"Wrong? What do you mean?" What the hell is she talking about? he thought.

"Are you spying on me?" Mione decided to change the question.

"Hermione, what are you talking about?" Harry was irritated with the senseless questions she was asking.

"Are you here to spy on me? Did I do something wrong which is the cause for you working with me?" she decided to say it slowly, one word at a time, so that he would understand.

Harry leaned on the hood and couldn't avoid a smile. So that's what she's been thinking? That she had done something wrong? Impossible!

"No, Hermione, you did nothing wrong," he said still smiling.

"So, what are you doing working among the muggles?" She couldn't avoid asking the question.

He'd known Hermione would ask about it. And he also knew that she'd been holding herself back not to ask it sooner. But he didn't want her to know the real reason. Even if he tried his best, she would end up being involved, and he definitely didn't want anybody involved, especially her.

"Spying," he finally answered, looking at her.

"On who?"

"It's not you, you can relax," he answered in a tone that made it clear that the subject ended there.

"With so many people, why did you have to work with me? Why not just leave things how they were?" Her voice was almost a whisper, as if she was asking it of herself. If only he knew how it affected her... How it made her suffer....

"The choice wasn't mine. Actually, I... Actually I didn't want to be working here. I wanted to leave things how they were too."

It was the first time Harry wasn't cold, stupid or silly with Hermione. He was just being honest, was telling her the truth. He looked at her and for an instant, it seemed like they had never been separated from each other. Like they were back to old times.

Lucius was walking quickly through the corridors of his immense house, until he reached his office.

"So?" Lucius said with his superior voice.

"We lost contact, they were caught by the muggle police."

"They were caught? I can't believe it, now what?" Lucius asked, sitting in his armchair, in front of Boreman.

"Karkaroff is seeking other contacts, and..." But the man didn't finish, Lucius interrupted.

"Boreman. Be intelligent for once in your life. That idiot Karkaroff already found contacts, and they were arrested. Do you insist on letting him take care of this?"

"All right, all right. I'll take care of it, then."

Lucius made a face that said he didn't think the man was smart or intelligent enough.

"What do you intend to do now?" Boreman decided to ask.

"Well, since Weasley has made no attempt to come after his daughter, I have decided I'll take revenge on that bastard of a son of mine."

"What do you mean?"

"I won't do it now, logically. It'll call too much attention, but when I get stronger, I'll kidnap my grandson and my dearest daughter-in-law," Malfoy said with a disdainful smile.

"And why would you do such a thing?" Boreman asked without any real interest.

"Revenge! Nobody does what my stupid son did. Not to Lucius Malfoy."

"Well, the son is yours, the grandson is yours, and the daughter-in-law is yours, you do whatever you like," Boreman said, bored. "I want to know about Aimeé. Where is she? I want to see her."

"You won't see her," Lucius said dryly.

"May I know why?"

"Because, it wasn't me who had this stupid idea of kidnapping her. And YOU put her in my care, so, now, you do what I want."

"I want to see her, Malfoy. And now," Boreman said in such a lethal tone of voice, that anyone would be frighten. Exept Lucius.

"I've already said you won't," Lucius said in the same tone.

"I want to know what you've been doing to her," Boreman said, his eyes full of rage.

"Be happy to know she's alive," Malfoy said, standing up, showing that the conversation was over.

"And you'd better keep her alive when all this is over, Malfoy," Boreman said giving the man in front of him a threatening look.

"That is, if I want to." Lucius returned the look.

Boreman didn't say anything. Just stood up, put on his overcoat and left the room.

Lucius sat down again and whispered:

"Idiot. Simply for your boldness today, I'll have my fun with little Aimeé."

Hermione and Harry were in her office, preparing Halkin's defence. But actually, It seemed like each was working on different cases, because there was no talking between them. Suddenly the phone rang and Mione answered. But didn't take long giving him the phone.

"It's for you," she said, getting back to work.

Harry stood up and went to the desk to take the call.

"Potter."

"Harry? It's me, Sirius. You have a cell phone, why don't you ever answer it?"

"I didn't bring it... I forget it, sometimes..."

"Forget? You shouldn't. We have a problem, Malfoy is still under arrest."

"What do you mean 'still under arrest'?" He thought Malfoy had been released a long time ago.

"Well, he just called saying he needs someone to go there to release him. You're a muggle lawyer, Harry, could you go there?"

"Release him? No. Why should I do such a thing?" Harry really didn't feel like releasing Draco at all.

"Harry, please, don't start. Just go and release him."

"All right," Harry said, sighing. "I'm going." And hung up the phone.

So, he turned to Hermione and said:

"I know you're probably going to freakout," Harry said with a superior expression, "but I'll have to leave early again today."

"And why?" Hermione asked with a moody expression. She didn't bother about the fact of him leaving early again, but only with what he said.

"Because Malfoy was arrested and I have to go release him," Harry said with an expression that clearly meant that, in his opinion, Malfoy should stay in jail forever.

"Arrested?! How?" Draco Malfoy arrested? Now she was surprised.

"Yesterday he was caught by the muggle police, at a party. Now I have to go and get him out."

"But how was he arrested?"

"Usually the cops come and put handcuffs on the person being arrested. Then, they read them their rights, and one of these right is to have a lawyer," Harry said as if she was a child who didn't know anything.

"I know how it works, Potter," she said with contempt. "I wanted... Never mind. Do what you want. I don't know why you say you work here anyway, since you're always late and leaving early," Hermione said, paying attention to the book in front of her.

"Great, we'll finish this tomorrow, then," he said, moving to his desk to organize his things.

"No, Potter, leave it with me, I'll finish it, and today, because you'll probably be late tomorrow, and will probably have to leave earlier..." Hermione said, sarcastically, looking at him.

Harry said nothing, just gave her a cold look and left.

Harry was standing in front of a cell, waiting for Malfoy to be brought out. He could see many jail doors being opened, giving Draco passage. He was still transfigured as a Latin.

"What took you so long?" Draco asked with his voice full of rage, for having had to spend so long in jail.

"Had problems during the night, Malfoy?" Harry said, sarcastically. "Did you have some difficulty with someone?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter."

"If you were among so many problem people, why didn't you just simply apparate home? Your big, cozy, comfortable home... you preferred to spend the night with a bunch of guys instead of Ginny? Have you changed your sexual preference, Malfoy?" Now Harry was being overly sarcastic.

Draco didn't say anything, just gave Harry a look of rage. They were out of the police station when Draco said:

"Could you lend me your wand?"

"What for? Where's yours?"

"They didn't give me it back. Probably thought it was some totally unimportant thing and threw it away, and I don't intent to look like this any longer."

Harry removed his wand from the inner pocket of his blazer and gave it to Draco, who quickly changed back to his Malfoy look of always.

"Did somebody tell Ginny what happened?" Draco asked worried.

"I don't know, maybe Sirius sent her an owl."

"And what did she say?" he asked anxiously.

I don't know. Are you worried, Malfoy?"

"No, Potter, but I'd like to know what she's thinking."

"Don't worry, she's probably not thinking anything. By the way, she didn't think much when she married you." They were in the car by then.

"Why? Are you jealous, Potter?" he asked with disdain.

He managed to keep himself from looking at Draco as if he thought he was totally worthless, and they went the whole drive without saying another word.

Sirius was anxiously waiting for his godson to arrive, and was worried about the news he had for him. He was seriously thinking about saying nothing at all, when a brunett with green eyes entered the room.

"Did you call me, Sirius?"

"Yes, Harry... I have some news, but first you'll have to promise me that you won't do anything stupid."

"I've never done anything that bad before, Sirius, so just tell me." Harry got irritated every time his godfather treated him like an irresponsible teenager.

"Well," Sirius said after a sigh, "We found Ron."


	9. Katherine Fisher

**Light and Shadow **

**Translator: **Carol Grissom

**Author: **Ligia Maria Araki

**Disclaimer: **Characters are not mine, or Ligia's

**Beta'd by:** Victoria P.

Chapter 9 – Katherine Fisher

When she woke up that morning, Hermione realized that it was not going to be her day of luck. She went to take a shower and, to her surprise, she saw there was no water. Actually, the entire building had no water, because of a pipe that had exploded. The explosion of the pipe had caused the elevator shaft to flood with water, causing Hermione to take the stairs that morning. Her next bout of bad luck occurred when her car would not start and she had to go to work through the crowded London subway.

By then, she was not in her best mood. Her day got even worse when she saw who was waiting for her at her office.

Katherine Fisher was an excellent lawyer, just like Hermione. Both had been in the same class at Oxford, and they could not stand each other. Mione and Kathy always wanted to be the best, and it created a huge rivalry between them.

Katherine, during all her life, was top of her class, but that was before college, where she met Hermione. Mione was the stone in Kathy's shoes during all of college, and, for the first time, she wasn't number one, but number two. Thank God they went on different paths. Katherine was a prosecutor and she was the best indeed.

Kathy, as her friends called her, was a very pretty woman. She was tall, and had a defined body. Kathy's hair, which reached to her waist, was long and straight. It was a dark brunette color. Her eyes were so blue that it seemed two precious jewels sat in the middle of her pretty face.

Mione entered in the reunion room and saw Katherine graciously sitting, looking at her with that superior look. She realized that it would have been better if she had not left her bed that morning.

"Hermione Granger, nice to meet you again," Kathy said with a false tone of voice.

"I suppose your state of happiness must be as big as mine," Mione responded in the same tone. "What are you doing here? Did you come to ask me to help you on some case you're working on?" Mione provoked.

"You don't change, do you? You were always so cynical. No, I'm not here to ask for help. I'm here to talk to you about the Halkin case, and, to my surprise, it's you who's taking care of it. A very simple case... What's going on with you, Hermione? Were you downgraded? Or did you do something very wrong and they decided to give you the non-important cases?"

"No, none of that happened. On the contrary, I'm taking care of this case because Phillip trusts me, and just me, to solve it. It might be a simple case, but the person involved in it is in high accounts with Phillip. Now, you surprise me working on such a simple case. I thought you only liked the big ones, with publicity, that catches the attention..."

"I like to pick small cases to rest, you know? The big ones might be wonderful to work on, but they tire once in a while," Kathy said lying back on the chair she was sitting in, pulling her hair back. "So, will we reach a deal today?"

"I don't know, maybe. Who knows? Before we discuss that, I have to wait for my partner to arrive," Hermione said making a face.

She still did not admit to the fact of having a partner.

"Hah! No! Please, repeat that. I think I didn't hear that right. Partner?" Katherine said with an ironic smile. "Hermione, what decadence."

Mione said nothing, just looked at the woman in front of her with a killing look.

"And where's your 'partner'?" she asked, really interested in who would be that person.

"Here!" Harry said, standing in the door.

Kathy could not avoid a smile when she saw Harry. Hermione clearly noticed by her expressions that she was interested in him, and deep inside she did not like it at all.

Harry went walking toward them.

"I'm not late. It's nine a.m. now. If you like to arrive early to control other people's time of arriving, it's not my problem," Harry said seriously to Mione, sitting down.

"Good morning!" he said now smiling to Kathy. "My name is Harry Potter, I'm Hermione's partner."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter," Kathy said smiling seductively to him, loving the way he treated Mione.

"Katherine Fisher, but you can call me Kathy. I'm the prosecutor who's taking care of the Halkin case," she finished, extending a hand to him.

"Well, then, I see no reasons for you to call me Mr. Potter. I think Harry is all right," Harry said, still smiling, "I didn't know there were such pretty prosecutors. The ones I've met weren't graced with your beauty."

Now Harry had the same seductive smile.

"Oh, Harry you're so nice," Kathy said, quickly embarrassed.

Hermione was bewildered. What did that mean? What was that scene? No... Definitely, that was not her day. Now, she would have to put up with the two of them flirting with each other, when actually they had much more important things to decide.

"Well, now that you two have met, what do you suggest, _Kathy_?" she said trying not to show how irritated she was.

"I suggest a deal. Your client declares himself guilty, and I try to get the minimum punishment," Kathy said giving a seductive smile to Harry, as if Hermione wasn't there.

"Sounds sensate," Harry said. "I think it would be best. It would save work and time of all of us," he finished, looking intensively at Kathy, also ignoring Hermione completely.

"It doesn't sound sensate to me. If you didn't want to work, what are you doing here?" Mione angrily asked Harry.

She didn't like the fact of being ignored.

"I don't know why you insist on trying these deals with me," she said to Kathy. "You know I would never allow such a thing, and you being the prosecutor... You must've noticed I love being in court and a fight, I love to see when you lose a case to me, which, let's admit, happens almost all the time," Hermione finished with a self confident smile.

"Hermione, my dear, it won't help. In this case there's no way you can win. You read the reports, take the deal, so you won't have to admit I won." Kathy kept the same posing, indifferent to what Hermione had just said.

"I agree with Kathy," Harry said.

Suddenly, Hermione was quiet and thoughtful. One of the reasons why she chose to be a lawyer was because it was one of the few professions where you have an opponent and not a competitor, and she loved a challenge. It was the challenge of accusing or defending someone. She liked the tough cases. The tougher, the better. But in this case, she would not surrender due to the simple fact that the prosecutor was Katherine, and she never felt so satisfied for winning over someone as she felt when she won over Katherine.

"No," Hermione said with a superior smile to Kathy. "I won't take the deal, and in the end, we'll see who ends up the loser."

"Hermione, try to be sensible and think at least once," Harry said with a tired sigh.

What was she thinking the court was? A fighting rink?

"Really, Katherine's proposal is the best to be done," Harry tried again. "It will be tough to win. Halkin himself practically declared himself guilty. It'll be a waste of time going to court."

"If you think it's too laborious to go to court, then you may leave the case, Potter. I don't care, I even prefer that. I work much better alone than with your help. If what you're doing here is helping me, well, I've done the entire job alone so far. But I-won't-take-the-deal!" she said the last phrase low and paused, looking very serious at Harry.

"Hermione... A court isn't a place where you can play; it's a serious thing, in case you didn't notice. A person's life is in the game, so could you put your pride aside and treat it seriously?" Harry was serious too and had a clear disregard in his look.

Mione didn't say anything. Pride? Who was he to speak about pride? She looked at Katherine and then at Harry.

"I'll see you in court," Hermione said to Kathy, giving her an enigmatic smile.

She stood up and left the room.

Jonathan Willians was walking calmly through the Muggle London. Whoever saw him would never imagine he was the vice-Minister of Magic; after all, he was using Muggle garb and was acting like a Muggle. Who would guess? 

He was married to Margaret Smith, the only daughter of the actual Minister of Magic. Everybody knew Jonathan came from a poor family and his marriage with Margaret seemed a real blow, but she seemed to love him, was extremely jealous, and, of course, spoiled. It was due to the uncountable requests to her father that her husband had that position in the Ministry.

The truth was that Jonathan even might like her, but he did not love her. At least once a week he would go to the beautiful apartment he had bought with the money he won in the Ministry to his lover, Veronica. With her, he had two kids, which would be impossible with Margaret, since she was sterile.

He turned around a corner, whistling happily, and didn't notice a man following him.

It was late in the night when he left the apartment and was going to the alley where he always went after being with Veronica to apparate home. When he arrived, he noticed there was a man standing there, supporting himself on the wall, and for his clothes, it could be seen he was a wizard. But his face could not be seen; it was hidden among the shadows.

"Hello, Jonathan. Coming back from your weekly 'walk'?" A razing voice came from behind the shadows.

Jonathan froze. Who was there waiting for him?

"Who's there?" Jonathan said with an eminent fear in his voice.

"What will Margaret think when she discovers where you go every week, instead of being at work, as you always say?" Lucius said coming out of the shadows.

The man was petrified with what the other had just said, and he suddenly felt the world around him fading away.

"Tsc, tsc, tsc, Jonathan... Really, this is not a good thing to do to the woman who took you out of poverty, the woman who made what you are today," Lucius said with his superior voice.

"What... What... What do you want, Malfoy?" Jonathan had never been a brave man.

"Hmm, I'm glad you asked. I wanted a very simple thing. I want the First Counselor job," Malfoy said with a disdain smile.

The hierarchy in the Ministry worked in a very simple way. There was the Ministry of Magic, then the Vice-Minister, and then the First Counselor. If one of them was not present, the next below would assume, and so on.

"I don't have the power to give you this job, Malfoy. You must know that perfectly."

Jonathan couldn't face the blond man in front of him. He was looking down, as if there was something very interesting in the floor.

"Well, how you'll get this is your problem. I want the job, and if you don't get it to me, Margaret will know everything you've been doing for the last ten years, including your two bastard children. How do you think she will react? It'll break poor Margaret's heart..." Lucius said now approaching to Jonathan, containing a threatening look.

"How do you think she'll react when she gets to know you have two children out of the marriage, when she herself can't have any? I must add, you have horribly bad taste, Smith. A Mudblood?" Malfoy finished, looking with disregard.

"I can't do what you're asking, Malfoy." Jonathan was desperate. "I don't have how..."

"That's your problem. You have a week. Otherwise, Margaret will find out everything and then you're life will be finished. You won't be anything, and I want to know what you'll do to sustain your second family," Lucius finished, disappearing in the next second.

Jonathan leaned on the wall, and kicked the trash can next to him, in a desperate move.

Ron walked quickly along the street where his hotel was located. It was already night and he had forgotten how cold the winter nights of London were. He pulled his over-coat tighter against his body and entered the hotel, asking the receptionist for the key to his room. The receptionist did not give himself the work of looking at him and instead entertained himself with a game on TV. Luckily, the receptionist did not look up at him, because, if he had, he would have noticed that the man asking for the key was not the old man who used to be in that room. That redheaded man surely had nothing to do with the old one he was used to seeing.

When he entered in the room, he did not turn on the light immediately. He went right to the bathroom. After some time, when he came back to the bedroom and turned on the lamp, he stopped, completely shocked. He was not alone. There was a man sitting on the armchair close to the window, and Ron knew exactly who he was.

"Hello, Ron! It's been quite some time, huh?" Harry had his voice low and serious, and he was staring at his ex-best friend with anger.


	10. Another meeting

**Light and Shadow **

**Translator: **Carol Grissom

**Author: **Ligia Maria Araki

**Disclaimer: **Characters are not mine, or Ligia's

**Beta'd by:** Victoria P.

Chapter 10 – Another meeting

"Hello, Ron. It's been quite some time, huh?" Harry had a serious expression on his face and his voice was low.

Ron said nothing; he just stood staring at Harry, wanting to believe that this was not happening and that, actually, it was nothing more than a bad dream; a very bad dream.

He thought he had taken enough precautions in order to avoid someone discovering he was back to rescue his daughter, but after the happenings of the party, he knew it would be difficult. He thought it would take them some time to find him, and he thought he would have left the hotel by then.

"I should've gone to another hotel after that party_," _Ron thought.

"You know." Harry's voice brought him back. "As soon as I started working on the Wendell case…" Harry paused, "does the name remind you of something, Ron?"

Now Harry was standing up and was walking toward Ron. He had so much anger that his green eyes had gained a darker color that almost seemed black.

Harry waited for Ron to manifest somehow, showing he was listening to what was being said, but Ron kept quiet and motionless.

"As I was saying, I knew it was you. And since then I promised I would find you. It didn't take too long; I found you at that muggle gang's party. You don't know how angry I got when I couldn't catch you; that's until Sirius told me you were in this hotel. And here I am. I hope you missed me as much as I missed you."

It was then that Harry did something Ron was not expecting; at least not in that moment. He punched Ron right in the face, making him lose his balance. Before he could recompose himself, Harry grabbed him by his shirt collar, hitting him violently against the wall. With that, Ron lost the air in his lungs, but when he tried to recover it, he felt Harry's forearm in his neck, immobilizing him and not letting him breathe.

"I've been asking myself for so many years what I had done wrong for you to betray me." Now Harry's voice was nothing more than a whisper. "But after a lot of thinking, I can only get to the conclusion that the problem wasn't me, but you."

When he finished speaking, Harry threw Ron over a table, breaking it. Then, he went back to the window.

He was really angry and punished himself mentally for beating Ron. He could not lose control again. He put both hands on his waist and tried to slow down his breathing. At some point, he looked through the window, as a way to calm down his spirit, but that was not helping much. The simple idea of standing in the same room as his "friend" made him even angrier.

He looked beside him and saw a small fridge, and, without really noticing what he was doing, went to it and grabbed the first drink he saw. He put the liquid in a glass and went back to the window, unfastening the knot of his tie.

Ron took a while to regain some air. He was not moving and had his eyes closed. When he realized his breathing was coming back to normal, he opened his eyes, started to stand up and saw blood in the floor. He put his hand on his nose and realized Harry had broken it. With some difficulty he stood up and sat down in the bed, at a certain distance from Harry, grabbing a towel to clean the blood.

They stood some time in silence. When Harry had calmly finished drinking what was in the glass, he took his wand from inside his suit and pointed it to Ron.

"_Expelliarmus._"

"I'll need my wand to fix what you have done in my nose," Ron said staring at the floor.

"You can die from bleeding and I won't care," Harry said with a voice that looked like steel, sitting down again on the armchair.

They went back to silence for several long minutes. Ron felt extremely bothered. He was getting scared. He preferred Harry to yell, to break everything, even beat him again, at least he would know what the brunett was thinking.

"So?" Ron started, hesitant.

"So what?" When Ron heard Harry's tone of voice, he thought he should not have said anything.

"Well..." Ron decided to continue. "Did you come here to arrest me? Kill me? Or just beat me?"

"You're not in conditions of asking," Harry answered with a lethal voice.

"So why don't you start...?" Ron said so automatically that he regretted as soon as he saw Harry's face.

Harry decided to start by the question he asked himself mostly, since he had heard the redhead was back.

"Why did you come back?"

"Because I had to," Ron answered without looking at him.

Harry didn't seem satisfied with the answer and kept looking at Ron, this time irritated. He was not in the mood to hear quibble answers.

"I have the whole night to stay here waiting for you to answer my questions decently."

"What would it help if I told you? You don't care!" Now Ron was looking at Harry.

"You're right. I don't care," Harry said coldly.

For the first time Ron looked at Harry's eyes, and got scared with what he saw. In all the years they had studied together, when he still was his best friend, he had never seen anger, rage. He had never seen those emotions in his green eyes. Even when he had dated Hermione. He saw hurt, but not anger. In today's eyes there was hurt too, but it was hidden among the rage and hate. Ron had conscience of all the wrong things he had done, but he never thought they would awake such feelings in Harry.

"You don't have a family, do you, Harry?" Ron said looking back at the floor.

"I never had a family. You know that." Harry now was very impatient. What was he intending?

"Yes, okay, what I meant was, you never got married, never had children, isn't that right?"

"No," Harry answered standing up again.

"Then, really, you would never understand me. You wouldn't understand anything, wouldn't know why I'm back." Now he was looking at Harry again. "You don't know what it's like to have a daughter; the happiness you feel when she's born, you don't know how good it feels when she says daddy, and much less the desperate you feel when you discover she was kidnapped."

"All that is happening is your fault. You deserve all that, actually, I think you deserve much more than that," Harry said turning back to the window.

"You're right. It's my entire fault. But I don't think my daughter has to pay for what I've done in the past. I'm back because I need to get her back. I need to bring her back to... I need to bring her back to Marie." Every time he remembered his wife, Ron felt pain; pain of losing the woman he loved. He would always remember how coldly she had treated him, and he wanted to die every time it happened.

Harry laughed dryly. Ron got married and had a daughter. He was a betrayer, but he got married and had a family. Harry never had a family, much less got married. That was the kind of thing that made him insurgent. Never had a family, and started to think he hardly would have one. How can things like this happen?

"And how do you intend to get your daughter back? Are you with the Death Eaters?" Harry asked, sure of the idea that Ron was already working with the Death Eaters.

"No! No, I'm not working with them. I'm trying to do things the right way this time, but it's really difficult."

"And if you don't succeed, you'll join them, then?" Harry asked, still not believing in Ron's words.

"Not what I was planning, but..." Harry didn't let him finish.

"I don't know why I'm asking you questions. Of course you would join the Death Eaters, that is, if you're not with them already," Harry said loudly, facing Ron again.

"No! I've already said I'm not working with them, but I WILL if I have to! I'll join them, because the only thing I want right now is to have my daughter back, and if I have to work with them to have her back I wouldn't hesitate!" Ron answered in the same tone of voice.

After that, Harry said nothing, just started to walk from side to side in the room. He had his hands closed, and he was squeezing them so tight that his wrists were getting red.

"I regretted," Ron said after some time. "You might not believe it, but I regret everything I've done. If I could go back in time I would do everything different." Ron was trying to look at Harry's eyes. He wanted the brunett to believe in what he was saying. That he was being honest.

"And why did you join Voldemort?" Harry asked, stopping to walk and standing in front of Ron.

"Because I was tired. Tired of being the 'stupid Ron', tired of being poor, of no one taking me seriously. Tired of being just 'Harry Potter's best friend'. I wanted to prove I was a lot more than everybody thought I was."

"Oh! Sure! And a great way of proving it was JOINING VOLDEMORT!" Now Harry was yelling. "BECOMING A DEATH EATER!"

"To me, at that time, it was. Think, Harry, they would give me everything I've always wanted. I had power, I was respected, I..."

"You surely were respected!" Harry said ironically.

"At that time it was everything I wanted. It could even be a fake respect, but I was tired of the life I was taking. I've always been in second plans. First, at home, then in Hogwarts..."

"It must be really easy for you to come now and blame me for all your disgrace. I've already said before, and I'll repeat: I didn't ask to have this shit of scar in my forehead. I didn't ask to be famous, I would exchange it all to have my parents alive again, to have a family, because you know I NEVER had a family, and you had a wonderful family! And you've thrown it all up for what? Respect? Power? I respected you, and do you know why? Because I thought you were my friend, because I liked you, I trusted you and for me that was enough."

Now it was Ron's turn to laugh.

"It's easy to say, but you never lived what I've lived! I've ALWAYS been 'Harry Potter's friend' and never Ronald Weasley. I've always been dazzled by your 'shine'. You were the captain of the Quidditch team, the Head Boy, you had all the girls on your feet, including Hermione, and you knew I liked her."

"Come on, don't be silly. You were the biggest conqueror of Hogwarts, you had a different woman every week," Harry said sarcastic.

"True, but have you ever wondered why?" Now Ron's look was intense.

The brunett said nothing; he kept looking at the redheaded man in front of him, as if waiting for him to continue.

"They were with me only because I was the best friend of 'the famous Harry Potter'. They wanted to reach you, I was just the bridge. That's why I worship Marie and Aimeé so much," he finished, lowering his eyes. "That's why I would go to hell for them, that I would join the Death Eaters again, because when I met Marie I wasn't just your best friend. I was Ronald Weasley."

When Ron looked at Harry again, for an instant he seemed to see comprehension in those green eyes. But it was just for a moment. After that they were cold again and Harry went back to the armchair he was sitting in, still watching Ron.

"Have you visited my family?" Ron took the risk of asking.

"Once in a while," he answered dry.

"And how are they?"

"Great." And added, meanly, "They don't even miss you."

"Yes... I had thought that," Ron commented a little desolated. "The other day I went to the twin's shop. Fred and George seemed to be doing pretty fine, the shop has grown up, and Bill is working with them... Even Ginny is there. I heard she got married," he commented a little carefree, but he was actually dying to know to whom his youngest sister had gotten married.

"Yes, she got married," the other answered in a bad mood.

"And to whom?" Ron couldn't hold his curiosity.

"You would never guess."

"Neville?"

"No."

"Colin?"

"No."

"To whom, then?"

"Draco Malfoy," Harry answered looking at the redhead, wanting to see his reaction.

"What?" Ron thought he had not heard it right.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry repeated.

"EXCUSE-ME?" Ron yelled, standing up.

"That's what you heard. Draco Malfoy!" Harry repeated the name a third time, starting to get irritated with it.

"How could they allow that?" Ron asked nervous. "How could you allow that?"

"You speak as if you didn't know Ginny. The way she was, I would want to know who would forbid her."

"I can't believe it... How could such a thing happen?" Ron asked shocked, sitting down on the bed again.

"If you weren't so busy trying to get some 'power', and if you had paid more attention to her..." Harry added provoking. "Now it's too late. She's already married and has a son. It's funny how things happen, isn't it, Ron?" Harry now was ironic. "Draco Malfoy was the Order's spy. He brought information to us, while you betrayed us. Shouldn't it be the opposite?"

"At least, is she happy?" He decided to ignore Harry's last line.

"Yes, at least it's what it seems like. Malfoy has changed a lot, he's not the same anymore."

Ron couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy. This was another reason to regret what he had done in the past. If he had made other choices, maybe he could have avoided this "catastrophe".

"And Hermione?" He changed the subject.

"She's fine." Harry was lightly uncomfortable with that question.

"What is she doing now? Where does she work?"

"She's a lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Ron laughed. That was so Hermione, always obsesses by rules. "She works for the Ministry?"

"No." Harry now fumbled in the armchair, quite uncomfortable. "She works with the muggles."

"With the muggles? What do you mean? Don't you talk to each other anymore?" Ron asked. 'They no longer talked to each other?' he asked himself mentally.

"No, we don't, I mean." Harry was standing up again and was avoiding looking at Ron. "I'm working with her right now, but we don't talk to each other much."

"Why?" Did that mean they weren't friends anymore? Ron wasn't getting how could that happen.

"That's none of your business, not your problem, so stop asking questions," Harry said dry.

"I thought I would arrive here and I would see you two together, married, with kids... I was sure you would be together, it was practically a certain thing, you liked each other so much," Ron said looking at Harry.

"Things changed, in case you didn't notice," Harry said coldly.

Ron still had lots of questions, but suddenly his room's door was opened and he saw lots of men getting inside, some of them coming toward him, holding him and conjuring magical shackles in his hands. Before he could ask what was going on, he saw Sirius Black coming in. He looked at him and then at Harry exasperated.

"Harry, what did I tell you about coming here alone?"

"How did you find out I was here?" Harry asked seriously.

"I needed to talk to you, I called to your cell phone and, as always, nobody answered. So I decided to go to your house, but you weren't there. It wasn't hard to imagine where you were." Sirius was serious and was glaring at his godson. "What do you have in your head? I think I was pretty clear when I told you not to come here alone, wasn't I?"

"Yes," Harry answered annoyed.

"Then, what the hell are you doing here?" Sirius asked angry.

"Did you really think I would wait for you to come here and set things right with him?" Harry said pointing at Ron. "If it depended on you, he would be around for quite some time, and I want to see him rot in jail," Harry said with a voice full of hate.

"Who decides if he'll rot in jail or not is me," Sirius said with authority, which he never did to his godson, unless in circumstances like that. "So don't try to do the job that wasn't assigned to you. When I ask you to do something, just obey me, was I clear?"

Harry wasn't looking at his godfather anymore, and stood in silence.

"Was I clear, Harry?" Sirius repeated the question.

"Yes," he answered looking at his godfather again.

"Good, and about what happened here, we'll talk about it again later."

"You don't have to treat me like if I'm a child," Harry said irritated with the treatment he was receiving from his godfather.

"So next time don't act like one!"

After this little 'conversation' he had with Harry, Sirius turned to Ron.

"Mr. Weasley, I think it's not necessary to say why you're arrested, right?"

"No," Ron said looking at Sirius.

"What happened to your nose?" Sirius asked looking at the other's nose, dirty of blood.

Ron did not say anything, just gave a meaningful look at Harry. Sirius got that, because he looked at the brunett with a look that made clear he was in big trouble now.

"Very well, I'll get a medi-wizard to take care of his nose," Sirius said to one of the men who were holding Ron. "And take him to the Ministry, to be interrogated."

The men agreed and left bringing Ron. So, Sirius looked again at the godson, still clearly nervous and disappointed with what he had done.

"I will interrogate him, and while I do that I want you to wait in my office. You'd better be there when I arrive, otherwise, you'll have even more problems than you already have."

"Won't I participate in the interrogation?"

"No. You were, but after what happened here, you won't anymore."

"But I found him, I have the right to."

"You have no rights. I'm your boss, I give the orders. You will wait for me in my office for our conversation," Sirius said disapparating and leaving the godson alone in the room.

Without too many choices, Harry also disapparated to the Ministry.


	11. The First Counselor

**Light and Shadow **

**Translator: **Carol Grissom

**Author: **Ligia Maria Araki

**Disclaimer: **Characters are not mine, or Ligia's

**Beta'd by:** Victoria P.

Chapter 11 – The First Counselor 

A pair of small feet walked hurriedly through the corridor of the house. The five-year-old boy was impeccably dressed in his school uniform, which represented the most traditional wizarding school for children up to ten years. It was the same school his father had studied at when he was that age. It was very similar to the Muggle schools. There, like the Muggle Schools, reading and writing was taught, but the difference was that students were also taught how to control their magic, since they were not old enough to use a wand.

The blond boy stopped in front of a big door, which was closed. He pushed it and entered the big and luxurious bedroom. He walked toward the bed, where he could see there was someone sleeping in it, and, for what he knew of the routine of the house, he was sure that person was his father. He started to get on the bed, but he remembered of the last time he had done that wearing shoes, and the memory of his mother yelling wasn't a thing he could forget that easy. So, he sat on the floor, took off his black shoes and went up to the bed. When he finally made it, after all it was a tall bed, he started to jump on it, which he loved to do.

Draco Malfoy started to feel the bed coming up and down, and he already knew his son was there. How could that boy have the energy to jump at that time in the morning?

"Dad? Daddy, wake up! Won't you take me to school today?" the boy asked, still jumping.

"No Christian, today your mother will do that," Draco said putting a pillow over his head.

"Are you staying at home again?"

"No." Draco was starting to get irritated with going 'up and down'. "Christian, could you please stop jumping on the bed while I'm trying to sleep?" Now the blond had turned and was watching his son jumping on the bed. His son smiled at him.

"Don't be annoying, Draco." Ginny was got out of the closet and walked toward the dressing table. "Christian loves to jump on the bed and you've never complained."

"I never complained because he never jumped with me on it," Draco answered in a bad mood.

Ginny stopped in front of the bed with a raised eyebrow. Well, that was a huge lie; after all, it was him who had taught the son that play, which sometimes, irritated her. Every day after he was back from work, he took his son in his lap and stayed until dinner, playing with him on the bed. Sometimes jumping, sometimes tickling... If anyone were to ever witness that scene surely would never say that the blond having fun with his son was Draco Malfoy.

"Draco, you're not staying at home again, are you? Yesterday you passed the entire day in the bed and you're not going to work today too?" Ginny had her hands on her waist, in a clear position of disapproval.

She just released a tired sigh and looked at the son, who was still jumping.

"Christian, don't crumple your uniform."

"Okay," the little one said, still jumping.

Draco still bore that 'up and down' for a while, until his morning patience reached its limit. He sat down in the bed, took his son and made him sit down too.

Christian sat down and made a moody face, but decided to obey his father. His tone of voice wasn't for jokes. He looked at the bedside table and saw his father's wand. Well, he knew he shouldn't play with his parents' wands, but he was tired of waiting till he got 'bigger', like everyone said, to start making magic. So, he went crawling to the bedside table and when he was about to pick up the wand, he heard his father's voice.

"Don't even think of that, Christian!" Draco was looking at his son seriously and his voice had a warning tone.

With a defeated sigh, the boy crawled back close to his father and sat. He was starting to get bored, because he couldn't do anything. It was when he saw an owl entering through the window bringing the Daily Prophet when his mood changed. The boy's face glowed as the owl dropped the newspaper close to him.

"Dad!" Christian said. "Do you want to see what I learned? I know all the letters of the alphabet," he finished proudly.

"You know?" Draco said with eyes closed. "Then show me." '

_Well who knows, maybe this way he'll stay quiet,' _Draco thought.

"All right, L..." he started, picking the newspaper. "U... C..."

While Christian said the letters of the first page, Ginny yelled from inside the bathroom.

"Draco, don't forget today we have a dinner at my parents'."

"Do I really have to go?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Ginny said, emphatically, popping her head out of the bathroom with a clear expression that, if he dared arguing, he would be in serious problems.

"Okay," he answered, annoyed.

"E... L... O... R..." Christian finished.

"Very good, Christian," Malfoy said giving attention to his son. "In a few years you'll be reading the newspaper to dad," Draco said, smiling proudly to his son.

But Christian wasn't looking at the father. He was still looking watchful at the newspaper with an intrigued expression, surprised with what he was seeing.

"Dad." Now he was looking at Draco. "My name is in the newspaper."

"It is?" Draco said, finding it funny. Surely the son was mistaken.

'Yes, it is. Look: M...A...L...F...O...Y... Isn't it one of my names? And it has the picture of that man that you don't like."

After what the son said, Draco sat on the bed again and, picking up the newspaper from his son's hands, he could read the front-page news: **_LUCIUS MALFOY NAMED THE FIRST COUNSELOR_**. In the center was a picture of Lucius. Suddenly, a cold look appeared in Draco's eyes, the one that always appeared when the subject was his father. He got up from the bed and went to the bathroom.

"Look at this, Ginny," he said, giving her the newspaper.

Ginny took it and after reading, she asked, vacantly, "So what?"

"What do you mean 'so what'?" he asked indignantly.

"Okay, your father is the new First Counselor, that doesn't mean anything. He'll keep staying in his house and you here, like you've always been."

"No, Ginny. This is something for us both to worry about. Do you know what that means? That he's reaching 'the top', and it won't be through dark magic, but through the most conventional way, apparently not catching much attention."

"Draco, your father was only nominated the First Counselor, aren't you rushing into things? Maybe he won't even get to the top and..." But Draco interrupted his wife before she could finish.

"This is how he's getting there. I told you we were working on an investigation of Death Eaters who were trying to get back to power without Voldemort, and that cretin of my father was in the lead." His eyes were a dark blue, like they always got when Lucius was the subject.

"Draco..." Ginny started, but she didn't have the time to finish, because her husband left the bathroom and went to the closet. He had to go to the Ministry to get more information.

Christian stood between the bathroom's door and the closet, just watching the scene. Every time the subject was his grandfather, his father got so weird and didn't resemble the father he was used to.

"Mom?" Christian decided to ask. "Is dad angry because of grandpa?"

Before Ginny could answer, Draco said, "I've already said that man is not your grandfather." Draco showed up in the closet's door, completely dressed and lookin at his son coldly, speaking with a steel voice.

Christian stepped back, scared. His father never spoke to him like that, and he turned to his mother, looking at her clearly frightened.

"Draco, dear, you're scaring the boy," Ginny whispered putting a hand in his shoulder and trying to calm her husband down.

Draco looked at his son, sighed and knelt in order to be as short as him.

"Christian," Draco said with a calmer voice. "I've already told you that man in the newspaper is not your grandfather..." He would have continued, but his son interrupted.

"But isn't he your father? So, if mom's father is my grandfather, then yours should be too." Christian still was far from his father.

"Yes, but it's completely different, because your grandpa Arthur is what you can call a real grandpa. Believe me, now you're not old enough to understand, but when you grow up you won't want to call that man 'grandpa'."

Christian nodded his head, showing he understood what his father said. Draco smiled to his son, but his gray eyes were still worried and angry.

"I'm going to the Ministry to try to find out how it happened. I'll take Christian to school," he said to his wife.

Ginny agreed and gave a quick kiss to her husband. Then, she kissed her son, wishing him a good day, and saying she would pick him later.

"Come,' Draco said picking up his son and putting him on his back, which he loved, trying to calm him down. He was still very nervous. "Didn't you want me to take you to school? Let's go to school, then," he finished.

Christian calmed down and started laughing and giving his father little punches so that he would release him.

Hermione's day started like every day before a hearing. It was the time to revise the process, her defense and finish what was left. Usually, in these days, she arrived earlier and, this time, it wasn't any different. When Harry arrived, she was already in the office.

"I'm glad you're on time. We have a lot of things to revise before tomorrow," she said without stopping what she was doing.

Harry said nothing. Just supported himself on the doorstep, looked at what she was doing, releasing a tired sigh.

"You still haven't given up on this ridiculous idea of going to court?"

"No." She stopped what she was doing and now stared at the green eyes, very serious.

"Hermione, for God's sake!" Harry said exasperated. "This is not going anywhere, I've already said, take the damned deal!"

"No. Actually, I thought you would be happy in going to court, after all, you were so interested in Katherine, you could pass more time in getting close to her," Mione said, ironically.

"It won't be necessary," Harry said entering in the room and going to his desk. "I believe I'll spend quite some time getting close to her today."

Hermione rose an eyebrow, confused. What did he mean? But she wouldn't ask, because that wasn't any of her business, and went back to what she was doing.

'You know," Harry continued, 'I don't understand why you compete with her."

Mione stopped again what she was doing and looked at him, waiting for the rest.

"I think this whole competition is a waste of time, after all, she wins over you in many queries." Now Mione crossed her arms and looked seriously at him, just waiting for him to finish. _"Hearing this will be very interesting," _she thought.

"For example, she's a lot smarter than you, once she realized it would be a waste of time going to court in a practically lost case. I must add, she has a lot more class than you, and is also prettier, although about that, unfortunately, there's not much you can do," Harry finished meanly.

Hermione said nothing, just gave an enigmatic smile. If he thought that saying that would affect her, he was committing a huge mistake. She knew she was better than Katherine and it wouldn't be him who would change her mind.

"You expect me to comment about that?" she said seriously, but still with the smile in her lips.

"No, after all, I know you can't comment something that is the pure truth," Harry said looking seriously at her.

"Yes, you two really make a great couple," Hermione said ironically, getting her attention back to the papers.

"What are you trying to say?" Harry asked, sitting down.

Once again she gave an enigmatic smile and looked at him. She really wanted to say _"You're a great couple because both aren't worth it"._ But she wouldn't get down to Harry's level. She was a lot better than him.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."


	12. Dinner at the juridical club

**Light and Shadow **

**Translator: **Carol Grissom

**Author: **Ligia Maria Araki

**Disclaimer: **Characters are not mine, or Ligia's

**Beta'd by:**

Chapter 12 – Dinner at the Juridical Club 

For the third time that night, Hermione took a good look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a tight black dress that reached her knees, and had a discreet neckline. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a bun with some wicks falling beside her face. At her feet, black boots that nearly reached her knees. She smiled, enjoying what she was seeing in the mirror. Suddenly, she remembered Harry speaking that morning: "_She's a lot prettier, although about that, unfortunately, there's not much you can do." _She shook her head, putting the thought aside. She wouldn't get upset with his words, because she knew that was exactly what he wanted. Mione smiled when she heard the doorbell ring. Mark had arrived.

She grabbed her purse, which was on her bed, and went to the door. But before opening it, she looked for the fourth time at the mirror checking if everything was really fine.

"Hello," Mione said smiling, holding the doorknob.

"Hello! Mione, you're wonderfull!" She smiled. "You know, I think you look so much prettier when you wear your hair like that! Oh! Sorry! Anything you wear will make you look much prettier!"

"Mark, stop hitting on me, that won't work," she said slapping his arm lightly, with her face getting red with embarassment.

"It's a shame it doesn't work... Because if it did, I think the idea would be very interesting," he finished blinking at her.

She just smiled.

"Let's go?" he asked.

"Don't you want to come in and have a drink?" Mione said, only because she was a polite person.

"Hermione, why do you always ask when we're about to leave and never when we're arriving?" he asked playfully. "You know, I think one day I'll accept just to see if you give me a chance, and I assure you won't regret." Mark blinked at her again.

"Oh, Mark, stop playing the fool," she said smiling, closing the door.

Since their graduation, Mione and Mark always went to dinner at the Juridical Club together. Actually, these dinners took place every Fridays, but only once in a year their college class gathered to go to one of them. And since their graduation, they went always to these dinners together, independently of any relationships they might be involved in. This time, things weren't different.

And the fact that their friends from Oxford made comments about them arriving together again and insisting on denying their "romance" also hadn't changed. Mark usually provoked more comments, saying that he was almost conquering her. Nobody understood why they weren't together; whoever saw them would say they made a perfect couple.

They always sat at the same table. It was funny: at all those meetings on Fridays, the same people that were friends in college sat at the same tables. Well, the truth was that there were only two tables: Hermione's and Katherine's, because anyone who was friend of one of them surely wasn't a friend of the other.

Before dinner began, Mione and her friends were all gathered close to the bar, talking and updating the news, when suddenly she heard Mark whispering.

"You won't believe who's escorting the 'peacock'!" Mark always called Katherine peacock, due to the fact that she was very flashy, and because she always thought her "tail" was so pretty and so wonderful.

So Hermione turned to the door and saw Katherine, as always, with a neckline that could easily be called indecent. Wouldn't make any difference if she were wearing nothing. And she was holding hands with Harry.

Hermione felt her breath get stuck in her throat and made a huge effort not to show how shocked she was. Since she started going to these dinners, she had never met Harry, and the fact that he came escorted by Katherine made her face get red of anger. She took a deep breath to calm down, turning to Mark.

"What is he doing here?" Mione asked, still shocked.

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you." Mark seemed just as surprised as Hermione. "Did you know he would be coming today? Better, did you know he would be coming escorted by the peacock?"

"No, I didn't."

Before any of them could say something, they saw Kathy approaching.

"Good evening everyone!" she said with that fake voice of hers, receiving hostile looks from Hermione's friends. "Hermione, my dear, I see you brought your little pet, like every year," she finished, referring to Mark.

"Hm-hm. I see you brought one on your own too, and as always, a different one from the year before."

Kathy smiled and looked at Harry. He just hugged the woman from behind her, resting his chin on the curve of her neck. Hermione just rolled her eyes, thinking how pathetic that scene was.

"Prepared for tomorrow?" she asked, with a superior smile.

"Of course, I'm ready to end it with you, as always, actually."

"Really, it's such a pity that you won't agree with me, and won't take the deal. Harry was telling me he also thinks it's a waste of time, but if you insist that much..." she said, making a move with her hand showing that, for her, that had no importance.

That made Mione get even angrier. That meant that Harry had been talking to her about the case. Controlling her voice the most, she turned to Harry.

"Could we talk for a minute?" And looking at Katherine, 'In private."

"Sure," Harry said, kissing Katherine's cheek and following Mione through the room.

When they reached a quieter place, she started.

"Have you been talking to her about the case?" she asked, irritated.

"Why, was it forbidden?" he answered with another question.

"Did you or didn't you talk to her about the case?"

"I did, why, was it forbidden?" he repeated the question.

Mione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was trying to control her anger as much as she could, but she couldn't make it. She felt the glass in her hand exploding, and then the lamp that was near them, and after the lamp, the vase of a closeby table, catching people's attention, including Mark's. He thought in approaching to them, but just the look he got from Hermione made him change his mind.

"Are you crazy?" Harry asked, nervous. "Would you please control yourself, before you blow out everything!"

"What exactly did you talk about the case?" She ignored his comment.

"I said what I thought about it. I don't see any problem in that."

"Did you give her details of my defence?"

"No, I didn't give her details of OUR defence," he answered seriously.

Hermione just looked at Harry as if analysing him.

"I don't believe you." She was very serious as he was and her voice had a tone of warning. "I'll let Philip know about this meeting of yours tomorrow." She heard Harry making a resigned noise. "And if I notice you told her anything about MY defence, and don't come saying it's ours, because I did the entire job, to her, I'll ask the judge for your removal," she finished, turning to go back to the bar, when she heard Harry's voice.

"Is all this jealousy?"

Mione suddenly stopped in the middle of her way, turning to him.

"Excuse me?" She couldn't believe what she had heard.

"You're jealous because I came with Kathy, and you still don't accept the fact that she's a lot, and a lot better than you," Harry said with a smile that made Hermione feel like strangling him.

She approached to him again, this time a little bit closer, and with such a threatening look that even Voldemort himself would feel fear if he were still alive.

"Pay very close attention to what I'm going to say." She had a low voice and Harry had to make some effort to listen to her. "With whom you go out or not is your business. Don't come saying she's better than me, because I know that's not true and it won't be you who will change my mind. And I won't let you destroy the case only because you've turned into this thing you are today. And honestly, I still don't understand why you want to ruin my life. But you won't. You've crossed my path, so now, handle the consequences," she finished, going back to the bar before he could say anything.

When Hermione came back to her friends, Mark even tried to know what was the problem that made her explode everything, but she refused to say anything, saying that this little "setback", as she decided to refer to it, wasn't going to ruin her night.

Mione and her friends had already had dinner, and now were talking excitedly. It was time to decide for the dessert. Everybody was discussing about what to order, but her mood had been hit by the talk with Harry, and she ended saying, a little rudely:

"Why doesn't each one choose their own dessert?"

"No way!" a half-bold man said, resigned. "We all eat the same thing every year, dinner and dessert."

"Yes, but every year is the same discussion about which dessert, because each one wants a different one," Hermione said, a little more irritated than before, receiving a reproving look from Mark. He thought that the little issue she had earlier shouldn't be discounted on her friends.

"Ah!... I wanted to have this ice-cream dessert..." Judy said making a face.

'I vote for flambé strawberries!" Mark said.

"No, I still think we should order this apple pie, because last year we've already ordered ice-cream due to Judy's insistence," the bold man said, a little annoyed.

"Well, then, why don't we let the 'big boss' here decide what to order?" Richard, a blonde man who was sitting close to Mark suggested.

Every year it was the same thing. They spent a lot of time arguing and trying to decide what to order when, at some point, somebody would suggest the 'big boss' - Hermione – to decide.

"Yes." Everyone in the table seemed to agree with the man. "You decide, Mione, what should we order?" Judy asked.

"I won't order anything, because I'm on a diet!" Mione said seriously, just to receive 'boos' from the entire table.

"What do you mean diet?" Judy asked, smiling. "You don't need a diet."

"Mione, don't be an idiot, you don't need a diet!" Richard said, throwing her flower from the vase that was in the center of the table.

"Funny, it didn't seemed you were on a diet at lunch today when you ordered a complete sundae..." Mark said, debauched.

After that, everybody ended throwing things at Hermione. She just laughed.

"Okay, okay, okay!" she said, still laughing with the 'boos'. "Let's see what I'm going to order..." she said picking the menu. After spending some time looking at it, she turned to her friends and asked, smiling, "So, this year no one will try to bribe me?"

She should have kept her mouth closed. Suddenly, everybody started to speak at the same time, creating a huge mess, bigger than the one before.

"One weekend in my country-house for the apple pie," Giles, the bold man, said.

"I'll give you that blue blouse of mine that you like so much, for the dessert with ice-cream," Judy said.

"I'll keep on keeping your secrets, for the flambé strawberries." Mark looked at her debauched.

"Ah! So, if I don't choose the strawberries, you'll cheat me and will spread all of my secrets?" Hermione asked.

"No." Mark made an offended face. "It's just that if you don't choose the strawberries, I won't be responsible for myself if I go out saying something else..." he finished smiling and Hermione slapped his arm.

This mess of people offering things for desserts lasted some time, until Mione finally seemed to reach a decision.

"Very well! Giles, unfortunately this year I won't take your offer, because every year you say the same thing and don't make it." The man grimaced and smiled at her.

"Judy, I really would love to win your blue blouse, but..." The woman seemed happy with the 'but', "Mark keeps my secrets, and to choose between the blouse and the secrets... I'll keep the secrets."

Mark released a victory smile and rose his hands up. Mione looked at her friend and laughed. She really liked him, because he always could see the bright side of things. No matter how big the problem was, he always, somehow, cheered her up. Sometimes, when the problem was really serious and hard to solve, he always seemed to have the solution, but never talking to her seriously. He always found a way to help her with plays and jokes.

And while thinking what a good friend Mark was, she looked at the dance floor. And there was Harry, dancing with Katherine. The dancing was, well, quite sensual, and was catching a lot of attention. So she remembered her fifth year, when she still dated Harry, when they learned how to dance.

_Harry and Mione were in an empty classroom in Hogwarts. Dumbledore had decided to have a Christmas ball, to cheer up the students, since the events of last year still haunted them._

_They were trying to practice some dance steps, but no matter how hard they tried, it didn't seem to be working out. They had been practicing for a week, after classes and after everybody had gone to sleep. But they only practiced a few minutes, because Harry always found a way to kiss her and they ended up stopping the practice to stay together._

_But that night, Mione had decided that there would be no kissing, at least not until they showed some progress, which irritated Harry a little._

"_Very well,' Hermione started, "I think we can jump this start, I believe we know it well. Actually, this is the only thing we know, after a week of training," she finished in a moody face._

'_Mione, I think that we know too well, considering the time we've been practicing," Harry said with a sly smile, which made Hermione blush quickly._

"_Okay, then. Today we'll learn a bit more than that. I searched in the library for the book that Sirius indicated, and the coolest thing is that there's a charm we can use in the beginning. But we'll need music, because the charm follows the music played."_

"_All right, Miss Granger," Harry said, pulling her closer by her waist. "What's the charm?"_

"_Harry, I told you we need the music," she said, serious, trying to discourage him to do what she was thinking he would do._

"_I'll sing for you," Hary whispered in her ear._

_Hermione hated when Harry whispered things in her ear. Of course she loved it most of the time, but today she would hate it, because they would never learn how to dance._

"_Actually, I already arranged something," she said, pointing at the corner of the room, where there was something like a mugge radio set._

"_Hermione!" he said, mockingly. "Don't you know you can't use electricity in Hogwarts? Haven't you read 'Hogwarts, A History'?"_

"_I know that," she said, laughing. "It happens that this might look like a muggle radio set, but it was charmed, so it'll work here. And thank your godfather for the help."_

"_I won't thank Sirius." Now Harry was irritated. "It's his fault that I won't win any kisses today."_

_Now it was Hermione's turn to get closer and whisper in his ear._

"_If you behave like a good boy, at the end of the class, I'll think about it."_

_Harry was almost kissing her, but she was faster and moved away, leaving him with a frustrated face._

_She approached the device and selected the first song. Then, she came back closer to him and they did the initial move of a dance. Hermione took her wand and said _"Dancer Baller."

_And they magically started to dance in the rhythm of the song. Which was good, at first, because it was a slow song. But the stereo Sirius had lent them came with a CD that hadn´t only slow songs. There were faster ones, like salsa, for example. And as amazing as it could be, they started dancing salsa, Hermione laughed at the face Harry had made. He wasn´t exactly enjoying that. But she stopped laughing when the next song started: tango._

"_And you still wanted me to thank Sirius for this?" Harry asked irritated._

"_Harry, look at the good side. They can play any kind of song in the ball. We'll know how to dance."_

"_Any song that can play in that ball, we won't know how to dance, how are we going to catch other's attention dancing like this?"_

_When the CD finally reached the last song, they sat down in the floor, exhausted._

"_God! I thought this would never end," Harry said, lying in the ground._

"_Well, I believe that after that we've learned how to dance," Mione said laughing and lying down beside him._

"_Yes," he said leaning over her. "And I think I was a good boy, wasn´t I?" Harry asked, with an innocent expression._

"_Yes, I think you were," Hermione said smiling._

"_Well then, I think I deserve that kiss you promised, don't I?"_

"_You do," she said, pulling him and giving him a long kiss._

_After the kiss, Harry touched her forehead with his, saying:_

"_I love you Hermione, and I think you're a wonderful person. If it depends on me, I'll spend the rest of my days with you._

When the song in the Juridical Club finished, Hermione had her eyes full of tears due to the memories. It was almost impossible to believe that that tender and lovely Harry had turned into the monster he was now. She excused herself to her friends and went to the ladies' room as fast as she could.

She washed her face, but the tears insisted on coming and her eyes were starting to get red. She closed them and took a few deep breaths. She had to stop that, she couldn't stay like that because of Harry, after all, he didn't care about her. When she calmed down and started doing her make-up again, a woman came in, and stood right beside her.

"Parvati?" Mione asked, surprised.

"Hermione?" The woman seemed just as surprised as she was. "What are you doing here?" Parvati finished with a smile, and then hugged Hermione. "Where have you been? You were gone so suddenly… Nobody has news from you…"

"Well, I wasn't gone. I work among the muggles now," Hermione said, hugging her back. "I'm a lawyer, I guess that explains what I'm doing here," she said smiling. "And you?"

"I married. To a muggle lawyer, we come here every Friday, Thomas loves this place. Even when I'm extremely tired, he always finds a way to drag me down here."

"That's nice! And where are you working, among the muggles or among the wizards?" Mione asked curious.

"Both, actually," she said smiling. "I work in the same department as Potter," Parvati said, the smile fading away when she said 'Potter'. Seemed like Hermione wasn't the only one who didn't like the new Harry.

"Oh, yes, Draco told me something about you being a psychologist."

"Yes. But how did you know that?" she asked curious. "Where did you meet Draco?"

"Well, he went to my office, he was looking for Potter." Parvati laughed. She had never thought she would hear Hermione calling him Potter someday.

"Sirius told me something about Harry's new assignment, and him being working with you. How are things going?"

"Horrible," Hermione said, making a face. "He changed too much."

"That's true. Well, then, I believe you don't know the latest news," Parvati said in a confidence tone of voice.

"No, what?" Parvati would never lose the gossip habit.

"Well," she said, approaching to Hermione, whispering, "I shouldn't be telling you this, but they've found Ron."

Mione was completely shocked. Ron was back? How could that be?

"They've found Ron? What do you mean?"

"Well, seems the reason why he's back is that his daughter was kidnapped, and he's back to resue her. But I don't know things for sure, because Sirius didn't want to tell me the details."

"Ron has a daughter? Where has he been all this time?" Hermione asked, still shocked.

"He was living in Luxembourg, he got married and has a daughter. I don't know if you are aware of it, but we're working on trying to stop a group of Death Eaters, the ones who aren't arrested, to get back to action, and as you must know, Ron was a Deatn Eater."

"And where is he now?"

"Under the custody of the Ministry. Sirius was furious with Potter, looks like he went to the hotel where Ron was hidden without authorization. But that's all I could find out," the woman said, upset with the fact of not finding anything else. "But please, don't tell anyone I told you this, otherwise I'll loose my job."

"It's okay," Mione said, still shocked.

"Look, Mione, I have to go, because I'm really tired and I intend to take Thomas back home before I sit on that chair again and fall asleep. We need to meet again to talk more."

"Yes," Mione said, starting to leave that shock state she was. "Sure, let's set up something," she finished, smiling.

After saying good-bye to her friend, Mione went back to her make-up, thinking about what Parvati had said. Ron was back. And suddenly, this feeling of rage started to grow inside her, but she didn't know where it came from. The memories of Ron revealing he was a Death Eater, that he was Voldemort's spy, came like a movie in her head. She simply couldn't believe he was back.

She left the ladies' room and sat back with her friends, but she passed the rest of the night silent, thinking about the past. Once in a while she looked at Harry's direction, asking herself how did he handle with that news, but soon she put that thought away, because _that_ Harry didn't deserve her worry. She had to see if that was true with her own eyes, and that's what she would do first thing in the morning, before the trial.


End file.
